Staying Home Sucks, home
ISS016-E-20967 - View of Costa Rica
Villarreal, the nearest town, 9 km away. Photo: Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit, Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons

Playa Avellana

Surf spot · Costa Rica

Is it worth the trip?

67Good out of 100 for your dates

Home sucks

Best on Wed 4: 4 ft swell at 10 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 72 out of 100

Swell
5 ft11 shollow
Energy
620kJ
Wind
ENE 2 kn
Temp
28°C

Wed 4 · 81 out of 100

Swell
4 ft10 shollow
Energy
330kJ
Wind
SE 7 kn
Temp
25°C

Thu 5 · 78 out of 100

Swell
4 ft11 shollow
Energy
368kJ
Wind
SE 7 kn
Temp
24°C

Fri 6 · 62 out of 100

Swell
3 ft12 shollow
Energy
256kJ
Wind
S 7 kn
Temp
26°C

Sat 7 · 49 out of 100

Swell
3 ft11 shollow
Energy
192kJ
Wind
ENE 2 kn
Temp
28°C

Sun 8 · 29 out of 100

Swell
2 ft12 shollow
Energy
64kJ
Wind
NE 3 kn
Temp
25°C

Mon 9 · 46 out of 100

Swell
3 ft11 shollow
Energy
176kJ
Wind
ENE 2 kn
Temp
27°C

Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 275, good
  2. Tue 372, good
  3. Wed 481, good
  4. Thu 578, good
  5. Fri 662, good
  6. Sat 749, fair
  7. Sun 829, too small
  8. Mon 946, fair
  9. Tue 1042, too small
  10. Wed 1125, too small

The spot in five facts

  • Faces Wtakes swell from the W
  • Offshore: Ewind from the land
  • Intermediate +who it suits
  • Works 2–8 ftof swell
  • Water 28 °Cno wetsuit

Full forecast

every day, every number

The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.

Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at Playa Avellana, each day
DayScore for intermediatesSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 2Nov75, good6 ft12 shollow8 ft at break (est.)864kJwind from the north-north-east, 6 knots, offshore31°C
Tue 3Nov72, good5 ft11 shollow7 ft at break (est.)620kJwind from the east-north-east, 2 knots, offshore28°C
Wed 4Nov81, good4 ft10 shollow6 ft at break (est.)330kJwind from the south-east, 7 knots25°C
Thu 5Nov78, good4 ft11 shollow6 ft at break (est.)368kJwind from the south-east, 7 knots24°C
Fri 6Nov62, good3 ft12 shollow5 ft at break (est.)256kJwind from the south, 7 knots26°C
Sat 7Nov49, fair3 ft11 shollow5 ft at break (est.)192kJwind from the east-north-east, 2 knots, offshore28°C
Sun 8Nov29, too small2 ft12 shollow3 ft at break (est.)64kJwind from the north-east, 3 knots, offshore25°C
Mon 9Nov46, fair3 ft11 shollow3 ft at break (est.)176kJwind from the east-north-east, 2 knots, offshore27°C
Tue 10Nov42, too small3 ft11 shollow3 ft at break (est.)164kJwind from the east-north-east, 5 knots, offshore32°C
Wed 11Nov25, too small2 ft12 shollow3 ft at break (est.)67kJwind from the east-north-east, 7 knots, offshore31°C

Energy is the swell's power, in kJ per metre of wave. Wind is in knots, the arrow where it blows to; green is offshore. More

Tide

  • Mon 2 NovLow 01:42 −0.8 mHigh 07:52 +0.9 mLow 14:15 −0.9 mHigh 20:37 +0.9 m
  • Tue 3 NovLow 02:54 −0.8 mHigh 09:03 +0.8 mLow 15:23 −0.8 mHigh 21:47 +0.9 m
  • Wed 4 NovLow 04:09 −0.8 mHigh 10:17 +0.8 mLow 16:32 −0.8 mHigh 22:55 +1.0 m

Local clock times; heights about mean sea level. On open coasts the times are usually within a quarter of an hour; in bays, estuaries and on the Gulf of Mexico they can be an hour or more out. Tide: EOT20 global ocean tide model, Hart-Davis et al. 2021, DGFI-TUM (doi:10.17882/79489), CC BY 4.0. Times and heights computed by us. A model, not a tide table: check a local table before you go.

Forecast updated . It refreshes every three hours. Forecast data: ECMWF, DWD, Météo-France and NOAA, served by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0). Changed by us. Generated using E.U. Copernicus Marine Service Information.

Map

the spot and its town

Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for intermediates: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.

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One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

More surf near here

5 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Playa Avellana

Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.

The spot faces W (254°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (74°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up, because of a steep sea floor. It works in 2–8 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very steeply: 10 m deep about 50 m out (1 in 7). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 28°C in January, its coldest month (no wetsuit), and 30°C in May, its warmest (no wetsuit). The town to stay in is Villarreal, 9.4 km away (about 20 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 3 surf spots and 1 mountain bike area.

Water about 28°C: no wetsuit. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.

The score is the conditions only: the journey, the price and the partners never change it (how we score, how we earn).

Rough cost (estimate): about US$872–US$1,620 each

about US$872–US$1,620 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, hire car, stay, food, board and wetsuit.

Our estimate from typical public prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book (where they come from). Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 2 November 2026.

How we worked it out 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn ORD to LIR, estimated from distance and season, 2 airlines on the route, with a hold bagabout US$289–US$597
Hire car6 days, sharedabout US$94–US$161
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$188–US$315
Food7 days eating outabout US$208–US$389
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$94–US$154
Totalabout US$872–US$1,620

For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.

Where to stay: 3 towns

Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn

Closest

Paraiso Guanacaste Province

about 15 min by car · 12 places to stay

about US$74/nightcountry average

See 12 places to stay in Paraiso Guanacaste Province · Booking.com

About Paraiso Guanacaste Province its beds, food and every spot near it

About US$74 a night is our estimate of the country's average 2-star double room that month: not each town's price, and not a quote. Drives are estimates. Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 2 November 2026.

Getting there: about 10h 40m

About 10h 40m door to door from Chicago

Fly ORD → LIR, direct, then 1h 45m by road

An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.

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