The Swell Show

Edition 22 · Thursday, November 5, 2026

Thursday filled up in a week.

Tomorrow, Thursday, more than half of the rentals have guests, about 2,100 people. Since last Thursday, about 120 more rentals were booked for that day. And 1 in 3 hotels has no room left.

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.

Today’s story

The weekend starts on Thursday

Today, Wednesday the 4th: more than half of the rentals have guests, about 2,000 people, and almost 3 in 10 hotels are full. 1.6 m waves and about 19 mm of rain.

Tomorrow, Thursday the 5th: a week ago 1 in 6 hotels was full for that day. Today it is 1 in 3: almost 30 more hotels with no room in seven days. Last Thursday went the same way.

For your business: Thursday night already moves like a Friday. More tables, more takeout and more people looking for something to do. And heavy rain comes back on Saturday, so Thursday and Friday are the best beach days of the weekend.

What to do today

Lodging
If Thursday is still open, don't discount it: it is filling up at the last minute, just like last Thursday.
Restaurants
Run Thursday like a Friday: full floor staff and bigger orders starting tomorrow.
Shops and services
Move classes, tours and board rentals up to Thursday and Friday. Saturday brings heavy rain.

The numbers

33%of hotels are full for Thursday. A week ago, for the same Thursday, it was 16%: almost 30 more hotels with no room.
US$114is the typical nightly price of what is still free for Thursday. For Saturday, US$113: what is left for the weekend costs the same as a weekday.
51–56%of the area booked every day, from tomorrow to Wednesday the 11th: an even week.

By price

The pricey ones fill first

For Thursday, almost 7 in 10 rentals over US$350 have guests. Among those up to US$60, 4 in 10: there is still room for a deal there.

Budgetup to US$60
40%
Mid-rangeUS$61 to 150
51%
UpscaleUS$151 to 350
62%
Luxuryover US$350
68%

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

    A Blue Zone seal for Nicoya

    The government is preparing an official Blue Zone seal and three wellness tourism products for the Nicoya Peninsula, due in 2028. A national promotion campaign would come first, in 2027.

    Source: The Tico Times

  2. Around the world

    JetBlue, in debt, keeps flying to Costa Rica

    The airline has six straight years of losses and about US$8.4 billion in debt. For now it keeps its flights from Fort Lauderdale, New York and Boston, and has announced no changes for the high season.

    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 4 at 6:00.