The Swell Show

Edition 21 · Wednesday, November 4, 2026

The rain eases and the weekend fills.

Tomorrow, Wednesday, more than half of the rentals have guests, about 2,000 people. Some 100 more rentals were booked for that day in the last six days. And the downpour forecast for midweek has shrunk.

Morning, line-up.

Tide alerts

  • Heads up

    The drought red alert is still on. Cóbano and Paquera have been under a red alert for El Niño since October 22. This week's rain doesn't lift it: check for leaks and save water. Source

Today’s story

No deluge, and the weekend keeps adding guests

Today, Tuesday the 3rd: half of the rentals have guests, about 1,900 people, and almost 3 in 10 hotels have no room left.

Tomorrow, Wednesday the 4th: the forecast changed. From Wednesday to Friday it now shows about 35 mm of rain in total. Yesterday it showed more than 250.

And the weekend keeps building: some 30 more rentals were booked for Saturday the 7th since last Saturday, and more than half of the area already has guests. For your business: a normal week, with less mud than expected, and a weekend that keeps adding guests. Whatever you were saving for three days stuck indoors, move it to Saturday.

What to do today

Lodging
Don't cut your weekend rates: Saturday already has guests in more than half of the area and keeps adding bookings.
Restaurants
If you placed a big order because of the rain, shift part of it to Saturday. Wednesday to Friday looks like a normal week, and the weekend keeps adding guests.
Shops and services
Put lessons and tours back on offer from Wednesday to Friday: waves stay at 1.6 m and the forecast rain dropped to about 10 mm a day.

The numbers

29%of hotels are full for Wednesday. On October 28, for the same Wednesday, it was 16%: about 20 more hotels with no room.
US$118is the typical nightly price of what's still free for Saturday. Yesterday, for the same Saturday, it was US$78: what's left for the weekend is no longer being offered cheaper.
49–53%of the area booked every day, from tomorrow to Tuesday the 10th: an even week, with no day that empties out.

By price

The priciest fill first

For Wednesday, 2 in 3 rentals over US$350 have guests. Among those up to US$60, 4 in 10. If you rent in the budget range, a two-night deal from Wednesday to Friday can fill the gap.

Budgetup to US$60
39%
Mid-rangeUS$61 to 150
48%
UpscaleUS$151 to 350
58%
Luxuryover US$350
66%

Share of places booked for tomorrow at each nightly rate. Every place in the area, classified one by one.

What the tide brings in

  1. In Costa Rica

    The Cambronero crossing reopened

    The Public Works Ministry reopened Route 1 at Cambronero on Sunday the 1st, almost two weeks ahead of schedule, after two months closed. The repair is temporary: the permanent work would start in the second quarter of 2027.

    Source: La Nación

  2. Around the world

    Lufthansa leaves the San José route in 2027

    From December 14, 2027, the Frankfurt–San José flight will be run by sister airline Discover Airlines, which goes from five to six flights a week. The link to Germany stays.

    Source: The Tico Times

See you in the water.

How we measure · Occupancy = 1 − places free for 3 nights ÷ total inventory. It’s a ceiling: some places block dates without being booked. Sources: the main booking platforms, Open-Meteo and the Central Bank of Costa Rica. Measured November 3 at 6:00.