The Swell Show

Edition 23 · Friday, November 6, 2026

Friday filled up at the last minute.

Tomorrow, Friday, almost 6 in 10 rentals have guests, about 2,200 people. About 130 more rentals were booked for that day in six days. And more than 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 on 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

Hotels filled up in a day

Today, Thursday the 5th: more than half of the rentals have guests, about 2,100 people, and 1 in 3 hotels is full. 1.5 m waves and about 15 mm of rain.

Tomorrow, Friday the 6th: yesterday we said Thursday was moving like a Friday. Today it's Friday that jumps: yesterday 36 hotels were full for tomorrow; today it's 59, about 20 more in a single day.

For your business: the weekend arrives with more people than Monday showed, and many booked at the last minute. Friday and Sunday bring good waves; Saturday is the day of heavy rain.

What to do today

Lodging
If you still have Friday open, don't discount it: hotels are filling at the last minute and late searchers find little.
Restaurants
Staff up fully for Friday and Saturday and stock up starting today. Saturday brings rain: have something good for an afternoon indoors.
Shops and services
Put classes, tours and board rentals on Friday and Sunday. For Saturday, offer indoor plans.

The numbers

36%of hotels are full for Friday. Yesterday, for the same Friday, it was 22%: about 20 more hotels with no room in one day.
US$114is the typical nightly price of what's still open for Friday. For Saturday, US$107: what's left for the weekend hasn't gotten cheaper.
65%booked among rentals for 6 people. Among couples' rentals, 59%: groups are coming, so add big tables and plans for several people.

By price

The expensive ones fill first

For Friday, 7 in 10 rentals over US$350 already have guests. Among those up to US$60, 4 in 10: if you rent in the budget range, a last-minute weekend discount can fill the gap.

Budgetup to US$60
40%
Mid-rangeUS$61 to 150
54%
UpscaleUS$151 to 350
62%
Luxuryover US$350
71%

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

    Cameras every 1.5 km on Route 1

    The tender to widen 55.6 km of Route 1 between La Sabana and San Ramón calls for cameras and radar at least every 1.5 km, day and night. Work would start in the second half of 2027.

    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 5 at 6:00.