Guaranteed matches
Three pool matches plus at least one bracket match on Sunday, four to six matches guaranteed. Nobody flies to Guanacaste to lose twice and go home.
Edition I · Guanacaste, Costa Rica
Playa Conchal
Open
Three days of open doubles under one roof. Play in the shade at noon, be in the water by four. Three days of open doubles under one roof in Guanacaste. Court at noon, beach by four.
Live
- 12Divisions · A, B, C, 50+
- 8Covered courts, lit to 9 pm
- 4–6Matches guaranteed
- $55Entry incl. kit
- 12Divisions
- 8Covered courts
- $55Per player
The weekend
Court at noon. Beach by four. Thai dinner from six.
Everything happens in one place: eight courts under one roof, the Lotus & Lime kitchen a short walk away, and Playa Conchal five minutes down the road.
The event
A tournament built to come back every year
The Playa Conchal Open is the first edition of the Lotus & Lime Tournaments, a series based at Finca Escondida Racquet & Social Club in Huacas, Guanacaste.
Guanacaste has beaches, golf and a growing pickleball community. What it has not had is a properly run open tournament, with a real draw, shaded courts, referees in the finals and food worth staying for. That is what we are building.
Everything happens in one place. Eight pickleball courts sit under one roof, so play starts on time regardless of midday heat or an afternoon downpour. The clubhouse pavilion, the Thai kitchen and the pro shop are a short walk from every court, which means players, partners and spectators stay together all weekend.
The field is open. A first-tournament player and a lifelong club player enter the same event, in different divisions, on the same courts, with the same medal ceremony at the end.
A weekend for the whole family: entry is free for family and friends, first matches are already on Friday late afternoon, the Friday dinner is there for everyone who books a seat, and every player is on court Saturday and Sunday.
Golden-hour play under the pavilion. Courts are lit until 9 pm.
Format & divisions
How the weekend is played
Doubles across twelve divisions, capped at 96 teams. Play starts on Friday 4 December in the late afternoon, pools continue on Saturday and Sunday morning, championship and consolation brackets on Sunday afternoon, every final on Sunday evening.
Women's doubles
SAT · pools
A
Advanced. Regular tournament players with a complete game.
B
Intermediate. Confident club players who know position and strategy.
C
Developing. Newer players and first-timers. No experience needed.
50+
Age division. Both players 50 or older by 31 December 2026.
Match format
- Pool play: one set to 15, golden point at 14-14
- Sunday quarterfinals: one set to 15, golden point at 14-14
- Semifinals and finals: best of three sets to 11, win by 2
- Bronze medal match in every division with six or more teams
Sunday Draw
- Teams that miss the knockout get a second life in the Sunday Draw
- Consolation play all morning, on the same courts
- Show court for the A and 50+ finals from 2 pm, crowd and commentary
The field is capped at 96 teams. Each division takes eight or ten teams, played in two pools, and a division with fewer than four teams is merged or refunded in full.
Honest divisions
You pick your division on the entry form, helped by a short self-rating questionnaire. The tournament desk reviews every entry and moves a team that is clearly in the wrong division, after talking to you first.
Referees in the finals
Pool and bracket matches are self-officiated with a roving official. Finals are refereed, with a written appeals procedure posted at the desk.
Rules, equipment and results
The full rulebook, approved paddles, non-marking shoes, and how draws, live results and final placements are published, all on one page.
Schedule
A full weekend, start to finish
Indicative running order. Exact call times per division are published with the draw, five days before the event.
Friday 4 December
Play and player night
- 3:30 pm Early check-in and kit pickup Tournament desk at the Lotus & Lime terrace, before the first matches
- 4–8 pm First pool matches Selected divisions play their first rounds on Friday late afternoon and evening, all eight courts. The draw shows whether your division starts on Friday
- From 6 pm Dinner at Lotus & Lime Sharing menu, USD 29 a seat booked with your entry, drinks sold separately. Seatings every half hour from 6 pm, pick your time when you book
- From 6 pm Live music Meet the field on the terrace, music until close
Saturday 5 December
Pools
- 7 am Desk opens, courts open for warm-up Player check-in and welcome kit
- 8 am Round robin begins, all divisions Pools on all eight courts, rolling schedule
- 12 pm Lunch service, play continues Claim your Thai break at the Lotus & Lime counter
- 4 pm Pool play concludes Standings posted, Sunday draw published on screen
- 5 pm Reserva Conchal owners' get-together The community's annual event at the beach club. Everyone else is welcome at Lotus & Lime for authentic Thai and live music
- From 6 pm Saturday dinner at Lotus & Lime Sharing menu, USD 29 a seat booked with your entry, the same terrace and kitchen as Friday, live music. Seatings every half hour from 6 pm, pick your time when you book
Sunday 6 December
Finals day
- 7:30 am Courts open, desk opens Sunday draw and court assignments on screen
- 8 am Pools finish, Sunday Draw and quarterfinals Last pool matches for half the field, consolation and knockout brackets begin
- 12 pm Lunch service, play continues Thai breaks and recovery bowls from the display fridge
- 2 pm Semifinals, show court opens Commentary, courtside seating, bar open
- 4 pm Division finals Every division plays its final today, refereed
- 7 pm A and 50+ gold matches, prime time Show court under the lights, crowd at full
- 7:45 pm Prize ceremony Trophies, medals, sponsor awards, group photo
- 8 pm Close Lotus & Lime terrace open for the last rounds
Entry
What it costs, what you get
One entry fee per player covers your first division, your welcome kit and your Thai break. The Thai sharing menu at Lotus & Lime, on Friday or Saturday evening, is optional, USD 29 per seat including yours, booked and prepaid with your entry, first come first served and limited to 80 seats per evening. Drinks at the dinner are sold separately. Family and friends are welcome all weekend, free of charge, and can join you at the dinner by booking seats.
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Registration closes 30 November. The field is capped at 96 teams, with eight to ten teams per division, limited by court capacity, not by ranking.
Entry fee
$55 USD
Per player
One flat fee for your first division, three days of play from Friday afternoon, your welcome kit and your Thai break.
Add-on
$45 USD
Second division
For players who want more matches. It adds matches only, the welcome kit and the Thai wrap come once per player, not once per division.
Optional
$29 USD
Dinner, per seat
Thai sharing menu at Lotus & Lime on Friday or Saturday evening, your seat included, bring your partner or family. First come, first served, limited to 80 seats each evening, booked and paid with your entry. Drinks sold separately.
The first division is $55, a second division is $45, and dinner seats for Friday or Saturday are $29 each, all booked with your entry. Payment is by SINPE Móvil to +506 7198 1988 (Jarno Hottinen), PayPal to jarno@hottinen.com (add USD 5 per division to cover the fee), or bank transfer to Banco LAFISE Costa Rica, account CR60011400007914597212 (USD), nothing is charged through this site.
Prizes for every division
Gold
Division champions
- A divisions: chef’s tasting menu with drinks at Lotus & Lime, each winner brings a guest, four dinners for the team (USD 100 per person)
- B, C and 50+ divisions: sharing menu at Lotus & Lime with a guest for each winner, drinks not included
Plus a one-month trial membership at Finca Escondida Racquet & Social Club
Silver
Runners-up
- Lunch for two per player at Lotus & Lime, four lunches per team
Plus a one-month trial membership at Finca Escondida Racquet & Social Club
Bronze
Third place
- A podium finish with a tournament medal to keep
Plus a one-month trial membership at Finca Escondida Racquet & Social Club
Included in every entry
- Welcome kit with a tournament cap
- Four to six matches guaranteed, three in pools plus bracket or consolation play on Sunday
- Your Thai break, a wrap or protein shake from Lotus & Lime, on the house with play
- Optional dinners at Lotus & Lime on Friday or Saturday evening, USD 29 a seat, booked and paid with your entry
- Court access for warm-up outside your scheduled matches
- Photography from the weekend, free to download afterwards
How registration works
- Submit the entry form with your divisions and partner. One form per player.
- We confirm your bracket by email within two working days, or come back to you if the bracket needs adjusting.
- Pay by SINPE Móvil to +506 7198 1988 (Jarno Hottinen), PayPal to jarno@hottinen.com (add USD 5 per division to cover the fee), or bank transfer to Banco LAFISE Costa Rica, account CR60011400007914597212 (USD), to hold your place. Your entry is not confirmed until payment is received, and payment is due within five days.
- Full refund if we cancel or merge your bracket. Player withdrawals get a 50% refund through 30 November, and nothing after that.
The venue
Finca Escondida Racquet & Social Club
Eight covered pickleball courts and two covered tennis courts in Huacas, Guanacaste, five minutes from Reserva Conchal.
The whole club sits under roof. That removes the two things that ruin tournaments on this coast, midday sun and a rained-out afternoon, and it lets us schedule tight without weather buffers. LED lighting keeps courts playable until 9 pm, so the draw runs into the evening without anyone squinting into a low sun.
Around the courts there is an open-air clubhouse pavilion with the Lotus & Lime Thai restaurant, a pro shop, shaded courtside benches, and trails and pasture beyond the fence line. Outside tournament weekends the club runs Monday round robins, adult tennis clinics, Friday night doubles and a Saturday junior academy.
Eight pickleball courts and two tennis courts, all under one roof.
The finca at dusk, a few metres from the courts. Club hours 7 am–9 pm, seven days a week.
Food & beverage partner
Lotus & Lime
Lotus & Lime is the Thai kitchen inside the club, and the tournament's food and beverage partner. Daytime is built for players, quick portable plates from the display cooler where you pick your protein and your heat level. Evening moves to regional Thai classics and chef's Thai–Costa Rican fusions, all made to share.
During the tournament weekend the kitchen serves players and spectators alike, from the first coffee of the morning to the last match of the day. Tell the kitchen about allergies when you order, the menu cooks Thai and uses peanuts and shellfish.
Open daily from 7 am. Monday to Thursday and Sunday until 8:30 pm, Friday and Saturday until 9:30 pm.
Travel & stay
Getting here, and staying a week
The club sits between Huacas and Brasilito, minutes from Playa Conchal and Reserva Conchal. Most players fly into Liberia and drive.
Fly to Liberia (LIR)
Guanacaste's international gateway, about 57 km from Brasilito, roughly one to one and a half hours by road on paved highway. San José (SJO) is a four-hour drive.
Getting to the club
Rent a car, or book a private transfer from the airport. Parking is on site and free. Huacas is the local junction town for Conchal, Flamingo and Tamarindo.
Where to stay
Reserva Conchal next door is home to The Westin Reserva Conchal and W Costa Rica. Brasilito, Flamingo and Tamarindo add hotels, condos and villas at every price level.
Early December
The start of the Guanacaste dry season, and the reason we picked the date. Book accommodation early, it is high season on this coast.
Find us
Five minutes from Reserva Conchal
The club is in Huacas, five minutes by car from Reserva Conchal and Playa Conchal, and under ten from Flamingo. Huacas is the local junction town for Conchal, Flamingo and Tamarindo.
- Free on-site parking
- 1 h 15 min from Liberia airport (LIR)
- Open daily 7 am–9 pm
Finca Escondida
Host club
Lotus & Lime
Food & beverage
Reserva Conchal
Host area
Your brand here
Presenting partner
Spectators
Free to watch, all weekend
Entry is free for spectators from Friday afternoon through Sunday. Courtside benches are shaded, the pavilion has seating and fans, and the kitchen and bar are open from 7 am. The show court runs commentary from 2 pm on Sunday, with the A and 50+ finals in prime time. Bring the family, Sunday afternoon is built for watching.
Good to know
- Free entry, no ticket needed
- Free on-site parking
- Shaded seating courtside and in the pavilion
- Card and cash both accepted at the bar
Family weekend
A weekend built around the family
Most players do not travel alone, so the weekend is planned for the people who come with them. Partners, kids and friends are welcome from Friday afternoon through Sunday, free of charge. Shaded courtside benches, the pavilion and the Lotus & Lime terrace are open to everyone, and the finals on Sunday afternoon are worth staying for. The club is open 7 am to 9 pm, and with fully covered courts the schedule holds whatever the sky does.
Good to know
- Free entry for family and friends, no ticket needed
- Kids' activities on Saturday and Sunday, full program coming soon
- Kitchen and bar open from 7 am on Saturday and Sunday, from mid-afternoon on Friday
- Dinner Friday or Saturday, $29 a seat, kids welcome
- Fully covered courts, matches go on in sun or rain
- Trails and pasture behind the courts, sunsets included
Kids' activities on the weekend
While the matches run, there are activities for children of different ages around the club. The full program is published closer to the weekend, and everything is within the club grounds.
Cheer from real comfort
Shaded benches courtside, seating and fans in the pavilion, food and drinks from the Lotus & Lime counter all day. Come for a final or stay the whole afternoon.
Make it a weekend
Arrive Friday and book your seats for the dinner, watch the finals Sunday afternoon, and stay in the area a few days more. Brasilito, Huacas and the beaches are minutes away.
The series
The first of many
The Playa Conchal Open is Edition I of the Lotus & Lime Tournaments, a series based at Finca Escondida Racquet & Social Club in Huacas, Guanacaste.
Edition I · Entries open
Playa Conchal Open
4–6 December 2026, first-round matches on Friday 4 December from the late afternoon. Twelve divisions of doubles, every final on Sunday evening.
Enter now →Edition II · To be announced
Winter 2027
Same club, same standard, new dates. Leave your email and hear the dates first.
Every week
Play at the club
Monday round robins, adult clinics, Friday night doubles and a Saturday junior academy, all year round.
fincaescondidacr.com →Partners
Be part of the first edition
A three-day event at a brand new club, in front of an international, high-spend audience on the Guanacaste Gold Coast. Four partner levels, each with court presence, on-site activation and content rights.
Presenting partner
One partner
- Name alongside the tournament in all communication
- Centre court branding and on-site activation space
- Named award at the prize ceremony
Court, division and hospitality partners
Multiple
- Named court or named division across the draw
- Welcome kit placement and player-facing sampling
- Logo on site, on signage and in the highlight reel
Questions
Everything else
Do I need a partner to enter?
Yes, you enter as a pair. If you do not have one, tick the partner-matching box on the entry form and we will pair you with a player at your level from the waiting list.
What level should I enter?
Enter the division you actually play at, not the one you are working toward. A is for advanced tournament players, B for solid intermediates, C for newer players and first-timers. The entry form has a short questionnaire and the tournament desk will move you if the division looks wrong. Sandbagging is the fastest way to have a bad weekend, and we do move teams.
Is the event sanctioned or rated?
No rating is needed to enter, this is an open tournament. If you have a DUPR profile, add your DUPR ID on the entry form and we use it to seed the pools. DUPR rating is optional and self-service: every confirmed match appears in your player account with the game scores, ready to add in the DUPR app. You get competitive matches, results published after the weekend, and medals for the top teams.
What if it rains?
Nothing changes. All eight pickleball courts are covered, which is the whole point of playing here. Early December is also the start of the Guanacaste dry season.
How hot does it get on court?
Courts are in shade all day and the site catches the breeze off the finca, so it plays considerably cooler than an open court in the same conditions. Water is free at the desk and courtside, and the schedule is built with rest between pool matches.
Can I bring my family, and can they eat with us?
Yes. Spectator entry is free, and Lotus & Lime serves guests from 7 am on Saturday and Sunday, and from mid-afternoon on Friday for the evening matches. The Thai sharing menu, on Friday or Saturday evening, is optional, USD 29 per seat including the player, booked and prepaid with your entry, first come first served and limited to 80 seats per evening. Drinks are sold separately, and you can book seats for your family when you register.
Are paddles and balls provided?
Bring your own paddle, from the USA Pickleball approved list. Match balls are provided by the tournament, and the pro shop on site carries demo paddles, grips and shoes.
What is the refund policy?
Full refund if we cancel the event or merge your bracket into another one and you do not want to play it. Player withdrawals are refunded at 50% through 30 November 2026, and not after that. Partner substitutions are free at any time.
How do I pay?
Nothing is charged through the entry form. After registering you receive a payment reference by email, and your place is held for five days. Pay by SINPE Móvil to +506 7198 1988, PayPal to jarno@hottinen.com (add USD 5 per division to cover the fee), or bank transfer to Banco LAFISE Costa Rica, account CR60011400007914597212 (USD). Include the payment reference so we can match your payment.
Can I enter more than one division?
Yes. Your first division is full price and a second is $45, which adds matches only, no second welcome kit or wrap. Most pool play is on Saturday, and some divisions start their pools on Friday evening, so a second division can mean a fuller Friday and Saturday. The desk confirms feasibility with the draw, and pairs are never scheduled on two courts at once.
What can we win?
Gold in every A division wins a specially designed tasting menu with drinks, valued at USD 100 per person, each winner brings a guest, so the winning team enjoys four dinners. Gold in the B, C and 50+ divisions wins a sharing menu, drinks not included, with a guest for each winner. Silver in every division wins lunch for two per player, four lunches per team. All meals are enjoyed at Lotus & Lime. Every medalist, gold, silver and bronze in every division, also receives a tournament medal and a one-month trial membership at Finca Escondida Racquet & Social Club.
Where do I ask something that is not here?
Write to the tournament desk and a person will answer, usually the same day.
Tournament manager Fernanda answers on WhatsApp, +506 6102 0603.
4–6 December 2026 · play starts Friday afternoon
Twelve divisions. Eight covered courts. Every final on Sunday.
Registration is limited by court capacity. Enter early, pick your divisions, and we will see you in Guanacaste.