So, in that light, the first coliving for this third project initiative, and the first one in 2023, is a newly-opened, small community coliving located right in the heart of Spain – in Madrid.

When we first heard about Coliving Madrid, it was from a coliver we had previously met in another coliving space during the project initiative. He told us about his friend Lu, whom he met also in a coliving, and about his project Coliving Spain, a home for digital nomads right on the outskirts of Madrid.

We were immediately interested to hear more about Lu’s story so after some conversation and sharing of values and ideas, we decided for Coliving Madrid to be our first coliving destination this year. And today, we’re bringing you his story after a month spent in his space.

It’s not only the story, Lu’s background, and his values that attracted us to come here, but also the fact that his space can potentially become the first community-focused nomad coliving in Madrid.

As a big city, Madrid’s coliving scene was up until now mostly focused on residential colivings and student housing as that was the need the market had mostly seen. However, a lot of nomads are searching for a community-first nomad experience in the cities such as Barcelona, Valencia, Madrid, Sevilla, etc., so we were very excited to explore if this will finally be one of those places that will answer the needs of this type of audience.

After a month spent with Lu in his coliving space, we can say that his idea is promising, the concept has a big potential, and we believe that with effort and dedication, Coliving Madrid can succeed in becoming exactly that – the first community-focused coliving in the Spanish capital.

Here is how our stay went and what we loved about Coliving Madrid:

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Concept

After exploring many coliving spaces, Lu knew what he wanted to create – a community. He was lucky enough to have had a property in Madrid at his disposal that he had been renting as an Airbnb for some time, so he decided to put his effort into the house and make a home for digital nomads and remote workers like himself, who would come to explore Madrid and the community for a few weeks to a few months.

Even when the place was only an Airbnb, Lu was unintentionally creating a community experience. His openness to meet new people, welcome them, and host them, is there with or without a coliving.

When speaking about the concept, Lu talks a lot about deep connections, real conversations, experience exchange, and an international community. This is something that is visible from entering the coliving and something that comes naturally to him as a host.

Nevertheless, Lu knows that’s not enough to make things happen, so he makes sure to explore activities and situations that would bring the group together and gather everybody around the same idea or a conversation.

His concept is still in the early phase as it officially opened only a month ago, but the progress and the value are already visible so we’re very excited to see where it will go.

Location

Lu’s space is located just about 15 km from Madrid, in a suburban neighborhood of this enormous city, called Rivas-Vaciamadrid.

This cute little neighborhood, or better to say a town, has around 85 thousand residents, living in tranquility and enjoying their peace and privacy. Most properties in Rivas-Vaciamadrid are multi-store houses with their own front and back yards, surrounded by greenery that protects you from the neighboring views.

This town is perfect for families, for children, for dog owners, but it’s also perfect for coliving.

Being close to Madrid, the colivers can enjoy all the fun, chaos, and opportunities of the capital (which we think everybody knows are plenty), but at the same time, they can enjoy the peace of a residential neighborhood that lets you take a breath, and live a slow and mindful life.

Rivas is close enough to Madrid to go whenever you want, but also far enough from it to not have to rely on going to the city to shop, have fun, or eat out. The suburbia has a few very big shopping malls, with loads of stores, restaurants, and supermarkets. From Coliving Madrid, everything is on a 5-minute car ride and there’s no need to go all the way to the center of Madrid when you need to shop. Moreover, there are a lot of outlets and discounted stores around, making it even better if you need new clothes or other things.

Most importantly, Coliving Madrid has a huge Mercadona supermarket right behind the corner, which makes everyday life easy.

Lastly, Rivas is very calm and green, with a lot of green areas to have a walk, go watch the sunset, enjoy some outdoor sports, etc. It’s the perfect town for a calm after-dinner walk with the colivers.

The House

Like many of the other houses in Rivas-Vaciamadrid, Lu’s place is a two-story home with beautiful big windows looking at the backyard.

The house came to be in Lu’s family many years ago. In fact, his parents bought it in pesetas. For a while it was sitting there, then it became an Airbnb, and now – it’s getting turned into a coliving. The space’s charm comes from its common areas, so let’s start from there.

Common Areas

It all starts with a big driveway and a small front yard right in front of the kitchen glass door. All the common areas of the coliving are on the ground floor which gives a bit more privacy to the top floors that are reserved for bedrooms.

The living room

When you enter, you will be welcomed by a spacious living room with the coziest cinema-like corner: a big corner sofa and a huge TV perfect for movie nights or presentations.

Next to the entertainment corner, there is a lonely spot with an armchair and a leg rest settled in front of the fireplace. This is a perfect spot for when you want to be in the company but not quite actively. You can snuggle up in a winter blanket reading a book, getting some casual work done, or having a glass of wine with your thoughts.

We can say that this big common space has 4 functions or corners – two that we described and two others are a dining area and a coworking spot.

The dining area is right next to the glass door that leads out to the backyard so it receives a lot of natural light, a fresh breeze, and the smell of flowers and plants outside.

This is where the family dinners often happen when the weather is not great to be sitting outside, but it’s also the spot for board game nights which are frequent.

The fourth part of the “living room” is the small coworking corner with two height-adjustable desks.

If you’re not there on time to take one, it’s fine – because there is also a portable laptop top table that you can use while sitting on the couch or the armchair. Because this is a common area, the rule is that one person at a time can have a call, but most people usually take calls at their working desks in their rooms.

The kitchen

The kitchen is the place where everybody gathers. A lot of family dinners, Sunday crepes, and Saturday barbecues mean a kitchen is a happy place in Coliving Madrid, where people often cook together.

Luckily, with an island in the middle, the kitchen is big enough for a few people to work on different things, which makes food prep a lot quicker.

Other than being the central area for food activities, the kitchen is the place where you will find the activity board of the coliving.

This is something Lu implemented (with our help) while we were there and it has proven to be very effective. Now people can have the activity schedule visible at all times which also helps new folks understand the concept and get a grasp of the community dynamics.

Other than that, the kitchen opens up to the front yard which might become a small garden in the future, but for now, it’s a table with a few chairs where people can chill while waiting for their food to be cooked, or even have the meal once it’s done.

The backyard

Possibly the biggest value of Coliving Madrid’s property is its backyard. And while the coliving can without a doubt work in an apartment, having a private outdoor area takes it to another level.

The small private garden in Coliving Madrid is a perfect place to have your breakfast in peace but also a perfect place for community events when the weather is nice. Right under the grape, on the terrace, there is a big wooden table with six chairs that serves as the area for breakfast, lunch, food parties, or just chilling, soaking up the sun, and having a drink.

This area is also connected to the driveway which becomes a spot for the pool in the summer. Other than that, the garden area is big enough to be a dance floor, for your dog to get zoomies, or simply for chatting with people at the party.

When a bigger event is happening, Lu takes the table and chairs and puts them on the grass area, adds two smaller tables and extra chairs and there’s a real party setting. Lastly, to complete it all, the garden comes with a barbecue place so it’s an absolute choice for every weekend.

The lawn area is natural, full of different colorful flowers and trees and it often attracts birds who you can hear singing the whole day.

And while we were there, Lu participated in a local eco initiative and received compost disposal from the town to put in the coliving, so all the organic waste now has a more ecological place in the compost in the corner of the garden.

The rooms

Coliving Madrid is a smaller coliving of 5 rooms, 3 on the first floor, and 2 on the second. What is great about this setting is that they are completely separated from the common areas, which gives a bit more privacy for when you want your time.

Two bedrooms on the first floor share a bathroom, and other rooms have their own, while one of the upper rooms is a shared room for 3 people. In its full capacity, Coliving Madrid will be able to receive up to 11 people which is a pretty decent size. At normal capacity, that number would most likely be between 7 and 9.

All the rooms are clean, simple, recently renovated and furnished, and fully equipped with everything needed for a comfortable long stay and work.

Also, each room has a desk and a chair and the shared room will probably have two working spaces. This makes work and life easy and flexible as it allows the colivers to choose if they want to work from their room or from the common areas.

Lastly, as Madrid is known to get crazy hot in the summer, all rooms will have air conditioning for a more comfortable stay.

The Host

Being a host is something some people have naturally in them. And Lu definitely does. He is very caring and can instantly become friends with his residents. He will greet and welcome you like a long-expected guest, introduce you to others, and help you feel at home.

As a coliving host, Lu is the heart and soul of the community. This means he brings in the energy, helps push the connections and relationships, acts as a person you can always lean on while in Coliving Madrid, and suggests and organizes events and activities.

Two nationalities and a unique approach to cultural exchange

Whether it’s his experience as a coliver himself, his own cultural mix, or a genuine interest in other people (or both), Lu puts a lot of focus on positive cultural exchange.

In most colivings, people talk about their cultures and backgrounds but there is not so much focus on diversity. In Lu’s place, sharing and comparing experiences, customs, languages, histories, etc. is very frequent and it works amazingly.

Lu was born in China to a Chinese family but moved with them to Spain when he was only 4 years old so he was brought up between two very proud and very colorful cultures – the Chinese and the Spanish.

Nevertheless, he grew up in Barcelona, meaning that he had been speaking 3 languages from an early age. Having these two cultures behind him – Spanish and Chinese (and Catalan), Lu approaches cultural differences with a light perspective and constantly reminds us that a fusion of different cultures can make amazing results.

Lu will lead by asking a question about one’s culture or simply pointing out an interesting fact he previously learned to other residents or community members and it will just instantly spark a conversation. Sometimes, even asking a taboo question takes away the barrier, makes the group laugh it off and connect, and helps us understand that not asking questions like these actually keeps us in the dark and the world of prejudice.

Because of this approach where the host cherishes hearing about the culture of each member, all members get interested in hearing about one another from this perspective, and the national or cultural characteristics become celebrated. Lu also often takes one thing from each culture or member and adopts it into practice and shares it with others.

Of course, in every international community, there will be a lot of cultural exchange, but as a host, it’s Lu’s superpower to unlock these talks and make us celebrate diversity every day and make a very heterogeneous group feel like a family in just a few hours.

Lu has been on the other side of the business

It’s always better if the product or service is offered by somebody who has been on the side of the customer. Lu didn’t wake up one day and decided to make a coliving space; he got inspired after times spent in coliving spaces and international communities as a resident.

Lu stayed in some of the most renowned spaces in Spain – such as Sun & Co. and Nine Coliving, where he learned what works and what doesn’t and how to build the community he always wanted, and made connections to help him along the way.

As he was on the visitor side of the business, Lu knows what things matter and how to make his residents happy.

With tricks and tips he learned from staying in colivings, Lu can experiment with how he will manage his space and choose among several solutions that are proven to work to find what works best for his place.

Lastly, Lu has a young spirit with lots of years of experience making him a versatile communicator and somebody who can connect with people of different ages and different backgrounds, which is aligned with the culture of coliving.

Community and the activities

With all the above in mind, it is time to talk about our experience of the community in Coliving Madrid and how it is built.

When Lu had the idea to build the coliving, he tried hard to learn how to build the community beforehand and acquired some valuable advice from people like Jon from Sun & Co., who’s known for his knowledge of community-building. But of course, every space is different, and unique ways and methods always get discovered along the way. So, Lu has experimented (and still does) with the knowledge he got along the way and his ways to create a unique community experience.

And we can confirm that he is slowly shaping his offering into a unique experience that will very soon have something that none other spaces have. If we were to guess, we would say it will be in the direction of the diversity we spoke about.

But, let’s see what activities and community-building happen in Coliving Madrid.

Food Culture

First, one of the characteristics of Coliving Madrid that stands out among others is the food culture. It’s well known that food always connects people, but it seems that in Coliving Madrid, food plays a big part in the experience. Not intentionally, but it’s undoubtedly there.

Every host unintentionally shapes the coliving experience with their own preferences and so does it happen here. Lu is a big foody himself and loves to cook and share meals with others. Both Chinese and Spanish cultures revolve a lot around shared meals and spending time and bonding over a meal, so it makes sense that this is what he loves to do.

He is also a great cook, and especially good when it comes to dumplings (I will still have dreams about them), and is very generous and selfless when it comes to sharing his resources.

The culture of sharing food in Coliving Madrid doesn’t revolve around hosting or showing off one’s cooking skills. It’s not there to impress and be flashy; it’s all about being humble, generous, and intentionally humane; cooking for others because you want to provide for them, and sharing your culture simply and genuinely, like you would with your family back home.

And then there’s the diversity part. Lu encourages others to share their recipes and show their culture through food and he keeps their cultural legacy by sharing it with others who come after them.

For example, the other day, we had Taco Day. We made tacos at home, followed a Mexican recipe, put on Mexican music, and shared what we all knew about Mexico, even though nobody was Mexican. It came spontaneously, but we enjoyed it very much and learned something new.

Or, if we’re talking about some food events that have become a regular thing in Coliving Madrid, we can speak about Saturday Asado – a typical way of preparing a barbecue in Argentina that got inspired by Lu’s Argentinian friends, or Sunday’s crepes, typical French-style pancakes, which is a custom started by Lu’s French friend and one of the first colivers.

Other than regular events, Lu is always up to explore new things to try – whether in a restaurant, like the time he took us on hotpot, or to try to make it at home, like the time we ate homemade arepas.

Every coliving has a food culture, but believe us when we say, in Coliving Madrid, there is something really special around it.

Community beyond the coliving

Another thing that makes Coliving Madrid different from typical colivings is who makes up the community.

Of course, the core community is always the colivers, but in many colivings, it often ends there. In Coliving Madrid, the community goes way beyond the coliving or, so to say, the coliving is a place where people from and outside the coliving gather and connect.

During semi-open events at the coliving, like the Saturday Asado, residents are encouraged to invite their connections in the city; ex-colivers or friends of colivers or ex-colivers are always welcome if they’re nearby and want to join.

After moving to Madrid, Lu attended a gathering for digital nomads in Madrid and has made some expat friends there who are now always welcome to join events like these.

For a small coliving like Lu’s, connecting the space and colivers with the outsiders from time to time is an amazing opportunity to bring in more quality and value to the experience. Lu also welcomes locals and anyone else who wants to join an international community.

This is also an amazing way for Lu to market not only his space but the coliving movement as well, which is amazing since Madrid, as we already said, does not yet have spaces like this.

Other events

Lastly, other than food events, Coliving Madrid also loves board games, hikes, and movie nights.

The living room is a perfect place for board games or movie nights, which are both often happening. Depending on the mood, once a week, one of these two activities will probably happen. If the atmosphere is a bit more energetic, a long game of Uno with some beers will make a Wednesday feel like Friday. And, if the mood is a bit calmer, a good movie will bring up discussions before bed.

And when the weather is nice, especially on Sundays after crepes, it’s a perfect time for a hike. Lu loves to hike and doesn’t mind driving the group if an interesting hike is a bit further away. There is something special about packing snacks, driving off together, and then having a nice mindful walk in nature. Madrid has loads of greenery all around, and, even in Rivas-Vaciamadrid you can find a route for a small hike and enjoy the sunset.

The future of Coliving Madrid

Lu’s space is still young. He doesn’t rush into it and takes time to explore and experiment. In the month we were there, new things were implemented from week to week, and the space and the experience were getting more and more shape. Now that we leave, it’s safe to call it a coliving space and say it’s ready to receive colivers that will further help it shape.

We think Coliving Madrid has a real potential of becoming the first community-focused nomad coliving in Madrid and that Lu has all the right ingredients to make it into that.

We’re super excited to see where it goes, and we highly recommend you visit it, stay with Lu, and add your own stamp to the experience of his building.

We appreciate your support!

Thank you for reading our content and following our journey! We are working towards becoming full-time content creators and being able to share stories with you even more frequently. If you’d like to support us to be one step closer to that goal, you can do it through Ko-Fi! 👇🏽

Secure yourself the best coliving experience

• italki – Why not learn some Spanish before your trip and make your coliving even better? italki is the perfect platform for that, where more than 3500 native speakers are waiting to help you with your Spanish.

Learn more about coliving

• • Interviews with Coliving Operators

Coliving Madrid: Creating a Tranquil Community on the Outskirts of the Spanish Capital

• ByMarko
• April 22, 2023

• • Coliving Movement

Why Spain should be your first coliving experience?

• ByMarko
• November 18, 2021

The post Coliving Spain 2023: #8 Coliving Madrid – Community & Cultural Exchange in the Spanish Capital appeared first on My Coliving Space: Spain.

The first event of this year’s CWSC was the casual meetup set in Fabrica del Hielo, an old ice factory right on the gorgeous Valencian city beach.

Travel & Tapas arrived on the 8th, like most folks, and headed out to the Fabrica del Hielo to have a few drinks and check out the atmosphere of this year’s CWSC.

To welcome the guests and attendees, there was Manuel Zea, one of the founders and organizers of the Coworking Spain Conference. Manuel proved to be an amazing host, welcoming all guests with smiles and warmth as if he was welcoming us to his home.

The night went on for a few hours, but after a few drinks and good talks, we called it a night. Of course, we wanted to be fresh and ready for the real deal tomorrow morning – and we know that’s what you’re here to read about so, let’s dive in – but, first, let us tell you about the venue.

The venue and organization

The conference took place at the cultural-sport complex La Petxina, located on the outskirts of the city center.

The venue was addressing the needs of the conference, providing ample space for networking and comfortable surroundings for attendees, as well as two conference rooms.

The organizers made a concerted effort to cater to non-Spanish speakers by ensuring that 80% of the sessions were available in English. This made the conference more inclusive and accessible, allowing attendees from diverse backgrounds to benefit from the knowledge and insights shared during the event.

In between the rooms, there was a large area for networking with coffee and snacks available throughout the day, as well as an expo zone for the conference sponsors.

What we most liked about the venue was that, even though it was very professional, it also provided a comfortable relaxed atmosphere that encouraged connections, handshakes, and sharing conversation over a hot coffee.

Our favorite sessions

Each year, CWSC delivers an incredible and diverse program for the coworking industry and this year was not any different.

As a media platform for coliving in Spain, our interest fell a bit more on those sessions that were a bit closer to the world of coliving.

Coliving and coworking worlds can be incredibly close or incredibly far away from one another, depending on their location, type, target customers, and many other factors. In that sense, we can find a lot of similarities when it comes to management in some coliving.

So, some of our favorite sessions at this year’s CWSC delivered insights and tips relatable and valuable for both industries – coworking, and coliving.

The Anatomy of Coliving: Jon Hormaetxe

We began our focus on coliving with a session on the “Anatomy of Coliving” delivered by Jon Hormaetxe, a renowned coliving experience designer and co-founder of one of the oldest nomad colivings in Spain.

Jon started the session by sharing some insightful statistics regarding the living situation in Spain and the prevalence of coliving arrangements in the country. He showcased how coliving is a growing trend and an important solution for social challenges faced by many people in Spain.

Jon introduced the concept of coliving and shared some definitions, inviting the audience to share their opinions on what constitutes coliving and sharing his own opinions on different definitions. Different answers from the audience only emphasized Jon’s most valuable point and that is the importance of differentiating between types of coliving spaces. He then shared his knowledge of how to distinguish different spaces and their customers based on the average length of stay and the level of community connections in the space.

Jon also provided examples of various solutions, including Nomad coliving, Rural coliving, and different types of Residential colivings.

Overall, Jon’s presentation was engaging, informative and insightful. He shared his vision of the future of coliving and coworking, providing valuable insights for anyone interested in the industry.

Rural Coworking Roundtables

During the second day of the CWSC, attendees had the opportunity to participate in two engaging roundtables that focused on the topic of rural coworking. As we previously mentioned, rural coworking solutions are gaining popularity, but there are still some challenges that need to be addressed for this business model to be sustainable.

The roundtables highlighted the importance of collaboration between the private and public sectors, with suggestions such as organizing events with public libraries or using public spaces. The speakers shared their experiences of not having public sector support initially, but after demonstrating the positive impact of their work in bringing people to the villages, the support changed.

The main goal behind rural coworking is to bring back talent to the villages, as many young people leave for urban areas for better work infrastructure. Remote work and improved infrastructure could help reverse this trend.

The speakers also acknowledged challenges such as limited transportation in rural areas and difficulty in marketing their spaces.

To overcome these challenges, they shared strategies like creating rural coworking networks and a specific strategy called a rural pass, which allows people to switch between rural and urban coworking spaces.

The speakers also emphasized the need to proactively market rural coworking spaces by educating people about what coworking is and how it can be used. They pointed out that no one will understand what a coworking space is unless they are informed about it, so it’s important to go out and approach people to educate them.

Overall, the rural coworking roundtables provided valuable insights into the challenges and opportunities of this business model and highlighted the importance of collaboration and proactive marketing to make rural coworking sustainable.

An interactive roundtable on conflict resolution

The final session of the conference was a highly engaging and interactive roundtable discussion on conflict resolution, where attendees openly shared their experiences and anecdotes as coworking operators.

The conversation covered a wide range of topics, including dealing with strange requests, struggles faced by female operators in being taken seriously, disrespectful behavior, non-payment of fees, conflicts between coworkers, and setting boundaries with long-term coworkers who have become friends.

What set this roundtable apart was the level of participation from the audience, which made it the most engaging session of the conference. The discussion was honest, raw, and at times even funny, reminding all the attendees that such problems are a part of operating a coworking space.

We believe that more of these interactive formats would be extremely beneficial for future conferences, as they provide a valuable opportunity for networking and learning from one another’s experiences.

Other sessions we enjoyed

Despite not being directly related to coliving, there were other sessions that we found particularly engaging.

IOS Office: Leading the industry in Mexico by Javier García Iza

“IOS Office: Leading the industry in Mexico” was one such session, where Javier García Iza, CEO of IOS OFFICES, shared an honest and humble story of their journey from opening a single space to becoming the industry leader in Mexico.

This inspiring session served as a reminder to new entrepreneurs to remain patient and steadfast, as success often takes time and effort. García Iza also emphasized the importance of maintaining a passion (and happiness) for one’s work as that is what customers will recognize.

Space as a Service: Spaces under Management by Óscar García Toledo

Another session we enjoyed was the session entitled “Space as a Service: Spaces under Management,” during which Óscar García Toledo, CEO of First WorkPlaces, provided insightful tips on the advantages of acquiring a management contract instead of renting a space for operators.

He outlined the necessary steps to take and emphasized the importance of considering legal and financial implications during the negotiation process.

Additionally, he shared his company’s successful approach to acquiring management contracts and discussed crucial elements to include in the contract when making a contract with a landlord. His expertise provided invaluable guidance to attendees, making the session feel like a comprehensive consultation filled with concrete advice.

State of Coworking in Spain 22-23 by Manuel Zea

Lastly, an additional compelling session was “State of Coworking in Spain 22-23,” presented by Manuel Zea, the CEO of CoworkingSpain.es.

The session included extensive data on around 1000 coworking spaces in Spain, covering aspects such as their geographic locations, quantity, occupancy rates, comparisons with other Spanish cities, variations in space types, payment options, and more, which was incredibly insightful.

The post CWSC 2023: A summary of the 12th edition of Coworking (and Coliving) Spain Conference appeared first on My Coliving Space: Spain.

The two-day event will feature the presentation of the State of Coworking 2022-23 report, highlighting the size of the market and competition between major operators.

With 32 presentations by national and international experts from Europe and Latin America, the program will cover new coworking locations, the automation of spaces, and the development of coworking in the rural world.

The conference will bring together over 200 attendees from the coworking, coliving, and flexwork sectors, including real estate professionals, entrepreneurs, startups, and HR managers.

Over the years, CWSC has positioned itself as the second oldest and most important coworking conference in the world, attracting industry benchmarks, startups, and freelancers alike. This conference is an excellent opportunity to network with influential players and learn about new trends and business models in the rapidly growing coworking industry.

Other than that, we expect even more focus on the coliving sector this year, with some presentations especially focused on it.

Here is our breakdown of this year’s program:

Coworkings & Flexible Workspaces

First and foremost, there’s going to be a lot of talk on coworking and flexible workspaces. Of course, nothing surprising, but as per usual, most of this year’s conference will revolve around flexwork and coworking solutions. From spaces for small groups to those for enterprises, from management style to creative solutions, this year’s CWSC has prepared a rounded talk about coworking.

This year, we see some major topic areas surrounding flexwork, which we can use to group the speeches into 3 big categories:

• How to manage the space
• Unusual coworking solutions
• Rural coworking

Best practices for managing a coworking space

If you’re new to the coworking industry – maybe you’ve just opened a space or you’re thinking of doing it – you will see that one of the most complex parts of the process is figuring out how to manage it. 

If you’re attending CWSC this year, then you probably know that coworking is much more than a space with a few desks and chairs, and you want to learn how to create an experience from it. 

Luckily, CWSC puts a lot of focus on management and is bringing a lot of answers and insights based on the type of space or experience you strive to create. Let’s see what’s in for the first day:

Day 1 – 9th of May

(12:30h, Room 1) Xavi Bassons take on Managing the community in a coworking

In the past few years, coworking spaces have become partially a third place – a point for socializing, building a community, and surrounding yourself with people who share your lifestyle and routine. But how do you make your space community-focused?

Xavi Bassons, the Co-founder, and CEO of Monday Working Spaces, will give his take on creating a community in a coworking space that receives a very diverse pool of people, from freelancers to teams, and get real about the challenges behind managing them.

We anticipate this session to be very insightful from the community perspective and open discussion about some possible solutions for managing a diverse customer pool.

(13:15h, Room 1) Alessandro Nacci on Automation, Simplification, and Opportunities

Speaking of the management solutions, on the same day just before lunch, at 13:15, attendees will have the opportunity to join an interesting session from Alessandro Nacci, the founder of Sofia Locks, focusing on automation and simplification in space management. Alessandro will bring up some interesting solutions that “reduce workload and friction between members, as well as more effectively monetize the space.”

(15:30h, Room 1) Javi Moral’s take on The 10 Most Common Questions when managing a coworking space

If you are interested but still not sure which questions to ask and which answers to seek, then we highly recommend Javi Moral’s session on the top 10 most common questions when managing a coworking space. As the founder of one of the first coworking spaces in Spain and a moderator of CWSC’s Discord group, Javi knows exactly what coworking operators struggle with the most.

Other than being super interesting for those who are just entering the industry, we expect Javi’s talk to be very insightful for coworking consultants, thought-leaders, but also different providers of management solutions.

Day 2 – 10th of May

(10:30h, Room 1) Óscar García Toledo talks about Management Contracts and How they can be Beneficial for your coworking

After registration and coffee, one of the first sessions attendees will be able to join is “Space as a Service: Spaces under Management”, a session by Óscar García Toledo, the CEO of First Workplaces.

Oscar will focus on the growing trend of management contracts in the flexible workspace market, which has up until now been the exception in the Spanish market.

Attendees will hear about his company’s experience in managing different spaces under this type of agreement and learn when it is a good idea for an operator or property to reach this type of agreement instead of resorting to a conventional lease. As the flexible workspace industry continues to evolve, it’s important to understand the various options available for managing spaces effectively and efficiently and we expect this session to provide valuable insights for operators and property owners who are looking to optimize their operations and achieve long-term success.

(12:30h, Room 2) Ben Kolp asks “Can a man who does not exist manage Coworking?”

In the session curiously titled “Can a man who does not exist manage Coworking?” Ben Kolp will take us through a journey of automation and optimization. As the creator of a bot named Ken Bensley, Ben will share his experience with automating tasks related to member management.
Attendees will have the opportunity to hear about the specific actions that can be automated, the level of technical expertise required, and the benefits that can be achieved through automation.

This will undoubtedly be an amazing session for operators who are looking for insights on how to streamline their operations and improve member experiences through automation.

Unusual coworking spaces

One major area topic of this year’s CWSC will be some unusual/special coworking establishments. Whether it’s reinventing a function of popular spaces, using spaces we already have at our disposal, or taking a challenge and taking the coworking space outside urbanism, attendees will have the chance of hearing a lot of different perspectives this year.

Here are the main sessions talking about this:

• (Day 1 – 9th of May, 12:00h, Room 1) Coworking in historic buildings by Marta Gracia
• (Day 1 – 9th of May, 16:15h, Room 2) Coworking in Shopping Malls by Carlos Gonçalve

Rural coworking

Lastly, we will have the opportunity to hear about a category that has become a movement over the past few years – rural coworking. A fully equipped working setting surrounded by tranquility and nature has become an ideal for many digital nomads, but is it challenging to create a space that will answer the needs of both worlds?

This year, we will have two round tables, one after another, which will address the reality, challenges, and specifications of running a rural coworking.

The round tables will gather speakers from Cowocyl, Codinse, ANDA Cowork, Cowocat_Rural, OpenOrbi, Vortex Coworking, Aurora Coworking, and El Taller Coworking.

Our suggestion is to stick around for both round tables to make it into a full story. They are happening on the second day and the specific times are below.

• (Day 2 – 10th of May, 15:30h, Room 2) The development of Rural Coworking
• (Day 2 – 10th of May, 16:15h, Room 2) Coworking in special places. The Reality of Rural Coworking

Coliving concept

And lastly, as a media platform and number one source for colivings in Spain, we’re especially excited about this (still) small part of the CWSC conference. Not every coworking is tightly connected with coliving, but vice versa – yes. Coliving operators are often coworking operators as well. Sometimes, it’s an enclosed service open for residents only, but other times, coworking is a way of connecting the residents with an external community.

This year, we’re especially eager to hear the talk from Jon Hormaetxe, a coliving experience designer, and the co-founder and operator of one of the pioneers in the coliving and coworking industry in Spain – Sun & Co. Jon will give an overview of the coliving concept, “the different models of coliving that exist today, specific problems they solve, and who they mainly address”.

Lastly, Jon will also explore the relationship and coexistence between coliving and coworking looking into the future. The exact time and date are below:

• (Day 1 – 9th of May, 12:00h, Room 2) Coliving Anatomy by Jon Hormaetxe

Other than Jon, on their take on the shared living concept, the attendees will have the opportunity to hear from Naiara Chaler, Chief Innovation Officer and Partnerships Manager at Aticco Ecosystem, Michael Erd, the CEO of Enso Coliving, and Carlos Perez Fur, a Product Manager at Suiters.

These are only some of the sessions you will definitely find us at this year’s CWSC 2023.

We’re also looking forward to exploring some other topics and sessions!

The post What Can We Expect from the CWSC 2023 in Valencia appeared first on My Coliving Space: Spain.

In today’s era, where more and more people want to make the most of their time by following experiences that shape their minds and soul, coliving in the Canary Islands checks all the marks.

Coliving in Spain

• • Coliving Movement

Why Spain should be your first coliving experience?

• ByMarko
• November 18, 2021

If you are new to the coliving concept in Spain and you would like to learn more about it, we advise you to check out our main article about this topic, before continuing with this article! 👉

On the other hand, if you are already familiar with what co-living is, let’s find out why the Canary Islands are so popular for this lifestyle.

Let’s dive in!

Disclaimer: This article contains some affiliate links.  At no additional cost to you, we may earn a small commission if you decide to make a purchase.

Why should you Experience Coliving in the Canary Islands?

Coliving in the Canary Islands offers a magnitude of options to choose from since the islands evolved to provide the best of both worlds to the new work-life balance. With the significant influx of people from all walks of life, especially digital nomads and remote workers, coliving the Canary Islands is easier than ever.

The Canaries archipelago now offers high-speed internet, various nomad hubs, and easy access to the scenic beauty that warms up your soul after a long skype call.

Why are there so many Colivings in the Canary Islands?

The reasons so many colivings have bloomed in the Canary Islands are plenty, but of them is that they are accessible and easy to reach. Cheap flights to and from the islands make them one of the most sought-after options when it comes to choosing your remote workstation.

In addition, high-speed internet in the numerous coliving hubs throughout the islands became a norm that gave peace of mind for freelancers, expats, and digital nomads, in general, to be connected to the work seamlessly.

Another stellar point is that different islands provide different experiences! This is what drives coliving in the Canary Islands, whether living with a flatmate from across the world or sharing the space with a local to witness the hospitality and deep-rooted culture. The islands have so much to offer in terms of life-long experiences.

The cost of Coliving in the Canary Islands

The cost of coliving largely depends on the coliving’s location, room type, and what the place offers. Some places offer additional services included in the price of accommodation, such as daily yoga, or other services like daily breakfast and family dinners.

A bed in a shared room would typically cost around 600 EUR per month, and the price of a private single room is in the range of 800 to 1200 EUR. For two people, a couple, or a pair of friends, a double room will most likely be from 1000 to 1500 EUR.  Have in mind that to support longer stays and slow traveling, most colivings in the Canary Islands offer long-stay discounts.

When you’re considering booking a coliving, have in mind the holistic experience that comes with it. While the price may sound expensive at first, when you consider it allows you to mingle with like-minded people, work remotely without hiccups with 600Mbps internet speed, and enjoy an abundance of activities, the dollar spent makes it all worthwhile.

Regardless of which option you opt for, rest assured coliving in any of the Canary Islands will be an experience of a lifetime as it offers a rich experience encompassing everything under the sun.

Remote-work-friendly Environment

Gone are the days when work had to be confined to a 4×6 windowless cubicle in a steel building where the only thing that was remotely natural was your little plant on the desk buried under piles of paperwork.

The perk of coliving in the Canary Islands is the spectrum of fun and finding like-minded people to have a platform for professional meet-ups and socializing.

The islands host freelancers, digital nomads, and expats from across the world; with the new normal where it’s easier than ever to pursue your career without compromising on fun and leisure, the Canaries have so much to offer for everyone.

Which Canary Islands should you choose for Coliving?

Now that you are sold on the idea of coliving in the Canary Islands, the million-dollar question is deciding which island to choose from.

Amongst the most popular are Tenerife and Gran Canaria. But you can also find coliving places on other islands, such as Lanzarote, Fuerteventura, or La Palma. We even had the opportunity to stay in one coliving in La Gomera, which is the second smallest of all Canary Islands.

However, we wouldn’t stress too much over which island to choose because most islands have at least one good coliving space. If you have more time and flexibility, you could also make a tour (similar to what we did). Many people actually opt for island-hopping because the islands are very well connected and offer such different things in terms of nature and vibe.

Tenerife

Tenerife is the biggest and the most popular of all the islands, as much for regular tourism, as a digital nomad destination as well. It is meant for those who are looking for outdoorsy, enthralling, and fun vibes and would love to be at the heart of the party as it attracts over 5 million tourists each year.

On top of that, it is also the island with the highest number of colivings.

Having that in mind, coliving in Tenerife is easier than ever because of the number of colivings to choose from, cheap international flights, culturally diversified communities, and natural landscapes to enjoy all year round. Tenerife provides everything one can ask for when it comes to opting for coliving.

Even though it’s the biggest island, Tenerife is perfect to explore all around. It consists of two main areas – Tenerife North and Tenerife South, both rich in different things, and definitely rich in colivings.

Tenerife South is the tourist center of Tenerife; a lively area, sunny all year round, with some of the best beaches on the island. On the other hand, Tenerife North is the area to dive into the local life, indulge in the history and culture of the locals, and enjoy mesmerizing nature.

It’s hard to point out the best coliving in Tenerife as there are so many great ones, but we recommend Maraya Coliving in Tenerife North and Cactus Coliving in Tenerife South. We had the opportunity to stay in both of these places during our Coliving Spain 2022 project. and had an amazing, but completely different experience.

Gran Canaria

Gran Canaria is another popular coliving hub amongst those looking for the best options in the Canary Islands. The island itself is called a continent in miniature due to the diversity of its landscape.

But, besides that, it is also the second largest island, with its capital, Las Palmas, being the biggest city in the Canaries.

That is why this island attracts those looking to surround themselves with a bit more urban environment. Las Palmas has the biggest digital nomad community on all the islands, with plenty of daily events and meetups.

There are some amazing coliving places in Gran Canaria, most of them located in Las Palmas so be sure to explore your options. We had the opportunity to stay in Coliving 1907 in the historical center of Las Palmas and we had a very positive experience.

Lanzarote

Lanzarote is one of the latest additions to the coliving movement in the islands. With its unique landscapes, the island attracts more digital nomads every year and could soon become another popular remote work hub.

Currently, there is only one coliving space on the island – Pitaya Coliving, but considering what this island has to offer, and the rising number of communities of digital nomads and remote workers on Lanzarote, we have a feeling there will be more places very soon.

How to start with your search

If we got you interested in the Canary Islands and you are wondering where to start with your search, you can always reach out to us with questions, and we can direct you to a place that best suit your needs.

We hope that will help you start your new adventure!

We appreciate your support!

Thank you for reading our content and following our journey! We are working towards becoming full-time content creators and being able to share stories with you even more frequently. If you’d like to support us to be one step closer to that goal, you can do it through Ko-Fi! 👇🏽

Secure yourself the best coliving experience

• italki – Why not learn some Spanish before your trip and make your coliving even better? italki is the perfect platform for that, where more than 3500 native speakers are waiting to help you with your Spanish.

Coliving in Spain

• • Coliving Movement

How much can you save by coliving in Barcelona

• ByGala
• January 8, 2022

• • Coliving Movement

List of most unique activities that coliving places in Spain offer

• ByMarko
• April 13, 2022

The post Why are the Canary Islands one of the most popular places for coliving? appeared first on My Coliving Space: Spain.

Pitaya is a young coliving, opened only in April this year and expanded in November. It’s a unique share-living experience with great people. We are so thankful that we were a part of its community in this period and experienced this unthinkable gorgeous island.

This is a remote work destination made for the soul, and Laura, Pitaya’s founder, and host is going above and beyond to showcase this and make the first ecosystem for remote workers in Lanzarote.

Read below our experience in Pitaya Coliving and book your stay to escape the cold winter days.

Disclaimer: This piece of content may contain some affiliate links. If you decide to make a purchase or book through one of our links, we may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.

Lanzarote – a digital nomad paradise

Even though all the Canaries are volcanic islands, Lanzarote is THE volcanic island in this group. If you’re into volcanic islands, Lanzarote is your destination.

It has one of the most unique landscapes in the world. With black stone and sand, multiple antique volcanos you can climb and hike; contrasts of typical white houses, crystal blue ocean, and bright green plants scattered around the island – it’s a movie-like scenery.

The island is also the perfect size for a one-month stay because you can visit all the most notable things in a month and truly immerse in them. There are a lot of beaches to visit and some fascinating hikes to do. But also, driving up and down the island is an experience in itself. On your way, you will pass so many volcanoes that you will not be able to count them.

The scenery is completed with the unique and uniform architecture of the island, created by a famous local artist, Cesar Manrique. Because of him, most of the houses and buildings on the island are painted white, with green, blue, or brown windows and doors, and have no more than 2-3 floors.

Arrecife

The capital of Lanzarote is Arrecife, a charming little town in the middle coastal part of the island facing the African continent. Pitaya coliving is located here, in the capital – which is not only a great position but one of the places for a local experience and the most urban experience on the island.

Lanzarote is easy to visit from north to south with a car (only a 40-50 minute drive from one end to another) and because of its size, when you think about Pitaya Coliving, you don’t only think about the neighborhood, or the city of Arrecife, you connected it with the whole island because this is the experience you are receiving.

How to get to Pitaya Coliving

Reaching Pitaya Coliving is very easy. Coming from mainland Europe, Lanzarote is the closest island, so the flight is the shortest. Being the third biggest island (number of residents-vise), its capital has really good and frequent connections with many European cities.

In general, there are two ways to reach Arrecife – by ferry and by plane. If you’re coming from the mainland, that option is a plane, but if you’re already on another Canary island, you can either take a plane or a ferry. Either way, both the airport and the port are close, and Pitaya Coliving is easily reachable from them.

Ferry to Lanzarote

The port is located around 10 minutes by bus from the Arrecife. The thing that is a bit complicated is once you get off the ferry. The bus station is a bit further down, and there is no marked path, so you will have to ask around a few times. But on a 5-7 minute walk from the ferry, diagonal from the closest cafeteria, there is a bus stop. The bus is number 3, costs €1.40 and takes about 10 minutes.

When you get off the bus, Pitaya coliving is on a 10-minute walk, and you will find it very easily.

Plane to Lanzarote

If you’re coming directly from Europe or you opt for BinterCanarias to take you from one island to another, you will also arrive quickly and safely from the airport to the coliving.

The airport is around 12 minutes by car from the coliving. You can take a cab from there, which will cost around 10 euros. If you opt for the bus, it will take about 30-40 minutes. The bus is always €1.40 in the city.

The neighborhood

The neighborhood around coliving is one of the best locations in Arrecife. It’s close to the historical city center and all the monumental city experiences. It’s close to the city beach, the castle, the marina, plenty of bars and restaurants, three big supermarkets, and a shopping mall. It’s a small town with everything you need, lively and relaxing at the same time.

El Charco

Pitaya Coliving is in one of the most charming neighborhoods in Arrecife called El Charco. The name translates to The Puddle, but this is nothing like a puddle. El Charco (the neighborhood) is a promenade that goes along a beautiful city marina, a historical center of Arrecife, and one of the liveliest areas.

The promenade is full of lovely local restaurants and bars, giving off a vibe between a fishing town and a family summer destination. 

The marina is full of these small local boats, with clear water, and beautiful to look at. That’s why bars in El Charco are very popular during the whole day and especially during the weekends. People, usually the locals, come here to have a drink, a snack, or a proper meal and relax watching the seagulls, herons, and pigeons enjoying the mesmerizing water.  

Walking here, you will find some other interesting things as well. First, you will notice these odd-looking boats made from tin plates. These are traditional boats from Lanzarote called Jolateros. Every day, there will also be a man in El Charco selling these small boats in all sorts of sizes, so you can buy them as a souvenir as well (as a keychain or a bit bigger).

Secondly, at the end of the marine, right on the edge of the city center, there is a display of a skeleton of a whale. This is truly a unique sighting (and a good orienteer).

El Charco also has other monuments here and there that showcase the history of the city, so make sure to have a look at them as well.

The city center and castle

In continuation to El Charco is the city center, a long street with shops and bars, that leads to the city castle – El Castillo de San Gabriel. The castle and the promenade around the castle are a great view to enjoy the ocean, the views, and all that wilderness inside the city. Cobble-stone boardwalk and antique bridge give a medieval feeling and can be a beautiful afternoon walk.

There is also a small beach next to the Castillo which is great for a quick swim during lunch hours. Walking down the street in front of the castle – another promenade – you will pass the cultural center of Arrecife, more bars and restaurants, and eventually come to the city beach (around 10-15 minutes walking from the coliving).

The coliving

Pitaya coliving is made of three apartments in one building, which occupies 2 and a half floors. Every apartment has 3 bedrooms – one double, one single, and one small single. 

Even though this setting might seem untypical at first, after a while it started reminding us of something. Here is the hint – multiple apartments, two across from each other, and a thigh group of people living in them, going from one another and having their best adult lives – what could that be!? Well, if you haven’t guessed so far, Pitaya Coliving has some serious Friends vibes.

All three apartments have their functions and vibes and all are completely available for every coliver. It doesn’t matter which bathroom, kitchen, or table you use because it’s all for everybody. 

There are two apartments across from each other on the second floor, and one above – on the third, and the last, floor. The top floor, besides the three private rooms, also has a big coworking space.

The other two apartments both have a shared kitchen and until recently, they both had a small chill area and a dining area as well. However, during our stay, some of the layouts changed to make more fluidity between the spaces and divide them per category. 

This new layout helps the community gather and gives importance to each apartment. The whole setting gives a new value, but more importantly, it shows that Laura cares about the opinions of the colivers and is open to change and experimentation.

Apartment 4 (The Chill Zone)

Apartment number four was the first living area. In this apartment, the colivers would find their kitchen), a small dining area for 5-6 people, and a cozy chill nook with a sofa by the window. All the interior was designed to have a flowy and positive vibe, with lots of pastel colors scattered across the place, colorful but subtle paintings on the wall, and mismatched yet matching dining sets.

Back when Pitaya was made only of two apartments – the number 4 and number 6, having a kitchen and a dining area made sense. For only six people, it was a perfect little gathering area and there was just enough storage for everyone.

But, Laura knew she wanted a bigger space. She knew she wanted to make this story bigger and share it with more people, so, even with still juggling the novelties of being a recently opened coliving, she decided to go for one more apartment and expand Pitaya coliving to 9 rooms.

That’s how Apartment 3 came to life. Even though this apartment was meant to be something of a mirror version of apartment 4 – more rooms, one more kitchen, and one more common space, after a while, the layout changed a bit and both apartments got their unique purposes.

So, what does Apartment number 4 look like now? (After changes)

Today, apartment 4 still has a small kitchen that colivers often use for cooking. Having two kitchens right across from each other is great when two or three people want to cook at the same time. It’s also great for cooking family dinners. Often, we would just open the front doors of the apartments (because nobody lives above so nobody ever passes there except PItaya people) and have a clean passage from one kitchen to another.

So, the kitchen stayed, but the common space changed. Now, apartment 4 is a designated chill area for the whole coliving. It is the only place of all three apartments that has a sofa (two sofas, to be precise), poufs, coffee tables, and just the best setting for chilling, hanging out, playing the guitar, or playing board games. This is now the place to relax, share a conversation, or have a casual rainy afternoon snuggled in the chunky blanket by the window.

Every week, Laura brings something new to the place to make it even cozier and nicer for hanging out so it’s becoming a dream-like living room.

This setting is (as of the moment of writing this) only about 2 weeks old, but we have already had so many amazing hangouts together in this space. It seems like the space also facilitated more casual gatherings, so some people who seemed shy or were not involving themselves in the community that much have started joining since the new setup.

Apartment 3 (The Wine & Dine)

Apartment number three, the one right across from apartment 4 and its supposedly mirrored version, had also fallen under some change and is serving a unique purpose. Today, this apartment is the main kitchen and dining area for the whole coliving.

With the same kitchen as apartment four, just a bit bigger, with more storage, and two fridges instead of one, this is where most colivers prepare their food and eat.

Besides the kitchen, there is a big table that can seat up to 12 people, so it’s a perfect place for family dinners, gatherings with food and drinks, or other similar events. People love to eat or have coffee in a company so this is still one of the busiest areas. This is where the family dinners and breakfasts were happening even before it became a dining area, so it feels very natural to gather here.

During the day, outside breakfast and lunch hours, it also works like a chill working area because of the size of the table and the tranquility of the room. During the morning, people usually work from the coworking area where the environment is quieter and more focused, so if you’re more in the mood of sharing a bit of conversation while working and having a coffee, this can be a good spot. Apartment 4 also has those “lazy workday” moments for when you need to get off a chair but don’t want to stay in your bed.

Apartment 6 (The Coworking)

Lastly, coming up to Apartment 6 on the top floor, we are presented with a coworking area.

This apartment truly is the perfect spot for the office as it has the best view of all the apartments. Overlooking El Charco, this is the spot for some of the best sunsets on the island, and during the day, when you get tired of working, you can find a bit of peace in looking over the boats in the lagune.

Also, when it comes to this apartment – it’s one with the most light in the rooms because of the sky that gives them the light through the inner patio.

But, let’s get real – the coworking in Pitaya Coliving is one of its selling points.

The Coworking

For this space to be suitable for remote workers, it had to have a reliable, functional, and inspiring workspace, and it’s safe to say it does.

The office has two areas. The main one, and the one where you come into, has three big desks put together with a total of 5 seats. Next to the desks, there is also a small fridge for all the goodies you would need during working hours like water, snacks, etc. The second area of the office is a space with four desks, of which two can be converted into standing desks.

The whole office is very bright and clean-looking. The pastel blue colors in the combination with white give you the tranquility to focus and be at peace while working.

Normally, this area is quiet and calm because everybody tries to be respectful towards others. That’s why for more casual or talkative work, colivers choose other places.

Besides the desks and comfy chairs, it’s important to say that the WIFI is very reliable and strong. Not only in the coworking, but generally throughout the house. Even if somebody notices a weaker connection, they only have to tell Laura about it and she will fix it.

Lastly, the coworking is used for the weekly planning sessions (Pitalendar), which we’ll cover a bit later, and any other session such as skill-sharing, story-telling, presentation – anything organized that’s a bit more structured and formal.

Community

The community in Pitaya is what makes this place truly special.

The lifestyle

This island, and with it, this coliving, attracts a unique group of people. People who love adventure, uniqueness, and natural gems, socializing and exploring the unknown with others.

Most people who come to Pitaya like outdoor activities such as hiking, cycling, climbing, swimming, etc. And, it’s no surprise. This island is perfect for the outdoorsy ones. With the landscape so unique and the terrain relatively flat with a few challenging hiking spots, Lanzarote is amazing for exploration.

Pitaya Coliving attracts people who match the vibe of the island – adventurous, but down calm and down-to-earth people who want to experience life in a community while working remotely.

Remote Workers

Besides having matching energies and the same taste for after-work activities, the community in Pitaya is also concentrated around remote work which makes the house productive and supportive. There are never awkward situations if somebody has to work because everyone has the same or similar experience. There is so much understanding going on, but, at the same time, motivation for working.

The mornings during the week are focused on coworking and people give each other all those benefits you have from coworkers. Seeing others’ work gives you a push as well and knowing you will hang out with them after work is the best motivation there is.

This is definitely because, when making the coliving, Laura started from the perspective of a remote worker and set the focus and environment for those who can remotely and want to do it in a supporting and adventurous place.

The host

At the center of the Pitaya experience is its host – Laura.

Laura is both an external part of the community and a manager of the coliving. Her energy is what buys everyone the moment they walk into the coliving. Always positive, always smiling, and very open-hearted, Laura is the host everyone would love to have.

Madrid-born, Laura completely fell for Lanzarote and moved here to live a more fulfilling life, but it was not enough for her to have this amazing experience and life only for herself. She was so eager to share it with others that she decided to open the perfect place that would invite remote workers to the island. She made it for like-minded people to her, the ones that share the same passion for the outdoors and active lifestyle, and show them how amazing Lanzarote is and how full and healing life on the island can be.

Since moving to Lanzarote, Laura is working so hard on being an advocate for the island, with the coliving, but also other initiatives like the Pitaya Festival in Lanzarote – a one-day event that merges all the localities and beauties of the island.

As a coliving host, she always comes with an open mind, ready to listen to feedback (good or bad), ready to work on the coliving, improve the offering, and make her guests want to come back. Because of her openness, the colivers here have more input and control of their environment which strengthens the community, and the relationship with the coliving, and, of course, boosts the feeling of being home.

Community organization

Having in mind the above, the community in Pitaya is made very organically. When there were only two apartments, the activities and the organization were completely organic. There are, of course, some things that are included in the Pitaya experience like weekly yoga and fresh weekly breakfast, but when it comes to activities, they were always organized by the people that stayed there.

However, when the group expanded, the approach had to be a bit more organized, so Laura introduced some things that would facilitate the experience. One of the things is the weekly planning session called the Pitalendar (Pitaya calendar 😀).

This is a weekly meeting of all the colivers and Laura to plan together the week ahead. In this session, everyone is welcome to give suggestions or wishes, and Laura is there to help with the local suggestions. It’s also the time to share feedback with Laura, to say if something is missing in the house, give suggestions for the improvement of the coliving, and so on.

The best thing about the organization of the coliving is the involvement the colivers have. For example, one coliver suggested introducing family dinners every week, and Laura immediately did it.

The same goes for the layout of the apartments. After spending time there, as a group, we suggested moving the furniture and making a different layout. Laura listened to us, gave it a thought, and the next week, we were all moving the furniture and experimenting together. It was a great bonding activity and a great way to connect with the coliving even more.

Activities

So, when it comes to activities, they are very organic, but they are encouraged. People love to share their passions with others and it’s a very open stage to do it.

During our stay, we held out typical SEO presentations, but we also participated in the Habit workshop and became a part of the Accountability group – another initiative from a coliver, Pierre (Challengers Community).

Other than that, weekends are the go-to activity days and often colivers organize to explore the island. Somebody would rent a car and we’d go altogether. We have seen so much of the island this way and Laura was always so great to give us routes and suggestions.

This organization, the community, the island, and the host make Pitaya Coliving a very special experience with a very bright future. For a young coliving, they have grown so much in the past few months and we’re super excited to see how they continue to grow.

We appreciate your support!

Thank you for reading our content and following our journey! We are working towards becoming full-time content creators and being able to share stories with you even more frequently. If you’d like to support us to be one step closer to that goal, you can do it through Ko-Fi! 👇🏽

Secure yourself the best coliving experience

• italki – Why not learn some Spanish before your trip and make your coliving even better? italki is the perfect platform for that, where more than 3500 native speakers are waiting to help you with your Spanish.

Learn more about coliving

• • Interviews with Coliving Operators

Coliving 1907 – A historical house telling a unique story of Las Palmas

• ByMarko
• November 5, 2022

• • Coliving Movement

Why Spain should be your first coliving experience?

• ByMarko
• November 18, 2021

The post Coliving Spain 2022: #7 Pitaya Coliving – Lanzarote’s first hub for Remote Workers & Digital Nomads appeared first on My Coliving Space: Spain.

First stop in our second, Fall, initiative, and 6th stop overall, and we’re back on the Canaries. This time, we’re exploring one of the favorite islands for digital nomads – Gran Canaria. And none less than its capital – Las Palmas, all thanks to Coliving 1907.

We’re lucky to explore this amazing city through Coliving 1907 because the owner and the host, Raquel Villalobos Vega is a true local, and on top of knowing all the tips and secrets of the city, she makes sure that the coliving is very well connected to the digital nomad community.

If you’re longing for a place where you could stay for a few months, enjoy nice weather, meet a lot of amazing people, and learn so many new things, Coliving 1907 in Las Palmas is a perfect choice.

Need more persuasion? Read our experience below. 🙂

Disclaimer: This piece of content may contain some affiliate links. If you decide to make a purchase or book through one of our links, we may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.

Las Palmas – a city where nomads and locals cohabitate

Las Palmas is one of the most vibrant cities in the Canaries. With not many regular tourists, it’s a perfect spot where digital nomads and slow travelers cohabitate with the locals. The dynamics of the city make it even more attractive for slowmads as they can balance between the local culture and interacting with other nationalities.

If you come to Las Palmas, it is practically impossible not to meet someone, not make friends, or feel alone. Along with the vibrant life, the weather in Las Palmas is one of the nicest in the Canaries with temperatures being between 20 and 27 degrees throughout the year and with little or no wind.

This place gives off a perfect mix between island life and metropolitan so it is good for those who love nature, surfing, and adventure, as well for those who like commodities, big city life, and socializing events.

Coliving 1907 is located in the city’s old town – Triana. A bit further away from the beach (further meaning 30 minutes by foot or 10 minutes by bus), Triana is the local center of Las Palmas, with gorgeous cobblestone streets, tall antique buildings with ornaments and wooden gates and tons of local coffee shops and restaurants with traditional and affordable offerings.

How to get to Coliving 1907

To come to Las Palmas, you can either come by plane from the mainland or by plane or ferry from another island.

Ferry to Las Palmas

If you’re coming by ferry, you can go directly to Las Palmas. The port is located in La Isleta, the most northern part of the city. From there, you can take a free ferry bus that will take you to Santa Catalina park which is 5 minutes from the bus stop and the central bus station.

Coliving 1907 is located a bit further in the city, where the old town is – in the neighborhood called Triana. This is about an hour’s walk from where the ferry bus will leave you or a 10-minute bus ride from the Santa Catalina bus stops.

When you get off the ferry bus, cross the road/bridge and go straight forward until you see lots of bus stops. You will need to take bus number 17 which will stop at the first bus stop. The ticket price for one ride is fixed for every in-city ride and will cost you 1.40 euros.

Plane to Las Palmas

The airport is about a 20-30 bus ride from the coliving. There are different buses that you can take from the airport. All of them will bring you to the same bus station – San Telmo.

Once you get off the bus, the coliving will be just 5 minutes walking from there, two streets above and parallel to Triana street.

The space

Coliving 1907 is a beautiful family house from – yes, you guessed it – 1907. The building is what takes this coliving experience to another level with its authentic Spanish vibrations.

Even though patios (stone gardens or atriums with open skylights in the center of the building) are something thought to be typical for Andalusia or Latin America, they can be found all over Spain and they’re often closely connected to Spanish culture.

In Las Palmas, at least in the old town around Triana, you can spot these gorgeous houses with patios on every step. There is something magical about them because when you open the doors of a building, instead of a boring hallway, you are welcomed with this spacious, colorful oasis, and it feels like you’ve encountered a secret world.

And just like its neighboring buildings, Coliving 1907 also has this secret world inside of it which adds to the atmosphere and makes you feel a bit like royalty. Lucky for you, we’ll give you a glance into this secret world today. Let’s take a tour. 🙂

Patio

As soon as you enter Escritor Benito Perez Galdos street, in front of this cute little coffee shop, and through a high wooden door, the patio will open up to you. You will walk through a small, beautifully decorated hallway and a black gate with the year 1907 written in the iron.

The next thing that will catch your attention will be a tall palm tree in the center of the patio, surrounded by dozens of other colorful pots and plants. If you wish to enjoy the peace and breathe in the view, you can take a seat at one of two yellow sitting corners and take your time before going upstairs.

Even though this patio can be the perfect place for gatherings and events, currently, it serves more as this peaceful oasis for colivers to come and join a bit of silence and daydreaming. The only reason for this is that the coliving already has another communal area for gatherings and events, but we’ll get to that later. 🙂

With an open skylight, decorative tiles, and a garden-like feeling, it’s a perfect spot for reading a book, writing a journal, or sharing a pot of tea with another coliver over a light conversation. Oh – and, of course, for taking photos! 😀

If you’ve taken enough time to enjoy the patio, let’s get into a celebrity mood and take the red-carpeted stairs up to the first floor to explore the interior.

The interior

As soon as you walk up the stairs, you will be welcomed by a hallway that goes into a circle around the patio. Whichever way you take – left or right – you will come to your destination.

This floor is a perfect mix of antique and modern – with dark wooden floors, tall ceilings, and big windows looking at the patio and the palm tree.

This floor takes up the majority of the interior of the house and can be split into 3 areas – kitchen and dining area, chillout zone, and the rooms.

Let’s start with the rooms as one of the most important factors when choosing a coliving.

Rooms

Coliving 1907 has 8 private rooms, single and double. All rooms are named after a specific area in Gran Canaria, which is thoughtfully presented on a minimalist map in front of each room.

The inside decoration of the rooms also follows these names and have colors, paintings, or other decoration that hints at or reminds of the area.

Seven rooms are on the first floor, and one is on the patio. Two rooms share the bathroom and others are private – some inside the room, and some outside.

We stayed on the first floor in room Mogan, inspired by a charming fisherman village in Gran Canaria. To match the name, there were a lot of sea-inspired decorations like a blue wall, a golden dolphin piece, a calming painting of the fish underwater, and other blue details.

Except that, all the rooms on the first floor have a huge, two-meter-tall window looking out onto the street. Some of the rooms also come with a private balcony.

A valuable feature that you will find in the rooms is the height-adjustable table that you can turn into a standing desk which makes work so much more enjoyable.

Inside community spaces

Other than the rooms, on the first floor, you will also find all the interior community spaces.

The kitchen

On the separate side of the rooms, you will find the kitchen and the community coworking area.

The kitchen is big enough for a few people to prepare their food and even has a table that two, or three people can sit at and eat or prepare food together.

There are two fridges in the kitchen, and every room has its shelf. Both fridges also have a “general” shelf that is used for things that are for everybody.

Sometimes, somebody might put things where they want to share with others, and other times, when a coliver is leaving the house, they can leave here what they can’t bring with them so the food doesn’t get thrown away.

In the kitchen, each room also has its pantry shelf for storing food, and there’s also one general shelf for things that don’t need to be refrigerated.

Indoor coworking area

Besides the kitchen, there is the main indoor community space – a coworking/multifunctional area. It’s a big table with comfy antique-looking chairs with about 10 seats.

Here, you will also find a big vertical mirror and pics of all the current and past colivers.

Lazy area

Lastly, when it comes to indoor common spaces, the first floor also has a comfy lounge area with bean bags and window nooks great for lazier work on your laptop or a cup of coffee in the afternoon.

However, even with lots of space inside for the community to gather, these all places are completely outshined by one particular outdoor space, and one of the best amenities of Coliving 1907 – the rooftop.

Rooftop

One of the strongest selling points of Coliving 1907 is its rooftop. This huge, multifunctional area truly elevates the experience and is definitely the most beloved feature of most colivers.

The rooftop compliments Gran Canaria’s late spring-early summer temperatures throughout the year and serves as the perfect spot for all sorts of activities – day or night.

The space is big enough to be divided into different sections. The main part of the rooftop, and where the most activity happens, is the gazebo. The gazebo is the key solution that makes the rooftop useful and accessible at all times.

Even though many colivings in Spain have similar flat rooftops because that’s a typical feature of houses and buildings in Spain, with nothing providing shade, they make it hard to be used during the day. The sun in Spain can be very strong so without any shade, it’s practically impossible to stay on the rooftop for a long time and especially impossible to work from it.

Coliving 1907 found the perfect solution for this and elevated its rooftop to a maximum. The gazebo gives shade during the day and can also double as protection from the rain. So, with mild temperatures throughout the day, colivers prefer to spend their time outside, eating, working, or just chilling out.

The gazebo floor is covered in faux grass carpet, making it soft and cozy to walk on even barefoot.

Main Coworking Area

Besides this, there are two tables – one regular long table with 8 seats and one high table with 4 seats. There are also two egg chairs that you can move around, as well as extra chairs and two deck loungers that you can take out when you need them.

Other than the thoughtfully designed space, another thing that makes the rooftop the main coworking area is that it is packed with outlets and good wifi.

All these characteristics make this area the one that the colivers use the most, and the main gathering area in general. All events, activities, family dinners, and so on that happened in Coliving 1907, happen on this rooftop. There are about 20 spots for people to fill up the space but still be comfortable, which is a bigger capacity than the coliving itself, so on regular days, it’s a very spacious and comfy zone to have your breakfast, work, or share a conversation.

Other areas

Other than the gazebo, the rooftop has a back area (invisible from the gazebo) with a clothesline where you can leave your clothes to hang out and dry in the indirect sun and fresh air.

There is also a laundry room with a washing machine, detergent, softener, and iron with an ironing board, that is currently free for use on the roof. This room also doubles as a communal toilet.

Lastly, the central part of the rooftop is the one that stays in the sun so you can take out the deck chairs and sunbathe. It also has a nice platform in the middle that can be used as a sitting area or a central area for events during the night. Although, the events mostly happen under the gazebo, but we’ll get to that later. 🙂

The Community

Coliving 1907’s community is structured in a specific way that differs a bit from a typical coliving community.

The Core Community (Current colivers)

First of all, with 8 rooms, Coliving 1907 is a small-sized coliving, so the coliving community is also smaller and with dynamics that feel more like a family.

Las Palmas is a lively city with loads of things to do so most of the colivers live lives at their own pace, pursuing activities and hobbies they like. This means that, unlike some other, more remote communities, you will not see people here constantly doing everything together.

When there are shared interests, people will connect over them, but there is not that kind of pressure to engage in things you’re not particularly interested in only because it’s a pre-organized community activity.

The dynamics in the house are tranquil, respectful, and friendly, and the activities done together often happen organically and spontaneously. Going out with a few of your fellow colivers to a party feels like you’ve got family with you. You will see these people at home, you can always count on them to support you and be there if you need them. It’s not necessarily about spending the most time together, but always being there for each other.

The host

The host and owner of the coliving, Raquel, is also very well integrated into the community without putting the feeling of overlooking or micromanaging the community.

What makes this community even more family-like and the house feel like home is the fact that a lot of people are staying for at least a few months. People don’t come here to have an intense experience and go back home to their lives, they move their lives here and build the community around themselves.

Ex-colivers

All these facts are actually the reason why Coliving 1907 has another layer when it comes to its community that we don’t often see in other colivings. This layer consists of ex-colivers who stayed at the coliving, loved it, had to move out for one reason or another, but decided to stay closely connected to the place and the people, making a part of the extended community.

One of these folks we met was Carlos, who stayed at the coliving for 10 months, and after he moved out, continued being part of the community, coming to events, joining group activities, and so on.

Another example can be Daniel, a coliver that lived in the house when we moved in and moved out a few days into our stay. However, he was still so much integrated into the community, that it took me a whole week to realize that he had moved out.

Digital nomad community of Las Palmas

Lastly, besides these two layers of the community, there is another one, and that’s access and connection to the bigger network of digital nomads in Las Palmas.

Unlike most colivings, Coliving 1907 often opens its doors to the folks outside and helps its colivers become a part of the digital nomad community on the island by staying on top of the happenings in the city, giving you access to this big community on Slack, and organizing open events for everybody to join.

Now, let’s talk about how this coliving organizes its events.

Events and activities

Coliving 1907 organizes its events on a monthly basis, offering 4-5 events per month, most usually once per week.

Even though some colivings organize events more frequently, for Coliving 1907, this is the perfect amount of activities, and here’s why.

First of all, as we mentioned, most people stay here for a long time. When you’re coming on a 3-week long workation, having daily activities makes sense. However, when you’re living somewhere for a few months, you don’t have the energy and the capacity to engage in activities every day.

Once a week is more than enough to gather in a bigger group of colivers and do something interesting and fun and use the rest of the days in the week for yourself and your interests, occasionally and spontaneously socializing.

Secondly, in Coliving 1907, people are much more likely to spontaneously organize what was happening between themselves so they didn’t need an entertainer. Some colivings that organize daily activities, organize beach trips or go to a restaurant together. In Coliving 1907, those are not considered pre-organized activities as the colivers organize them between themselves.

The activities and events that Coliving 1907 organizes are more events than activities, so it makes much more sense to have them once a week, and leave space for more casual activities during the week.

Third, as we mentioned, Coliving 1907 is located in the center of Las Palmas – a big city full of life and daily events for digital nomads. By giving its colivers access to this bigger community in the city, they are exposed to daily events around the city and can choose where and when they will go and what they’ll do. There are unlimited possibilities in the city so making events more frequent in the colivings would mean making the colivers choose if they will stay inside or go explore other interests.

Fourth, as we mentioned, Coliving 1907 opens its events to people outside of the coliving as well. By posting in the digital nomad slack group and advertising on social media, at each event at least a few people from the outside join. It’s a great way to broaden the community, but also to offer valuable events to others as well.

For example, we organized our SEO seminar there, so, by opening the event to everybody, people outside the coliving who were interested in the subject had the opportunity to come and participate which resulted in some new connections. In a way, this is also how Coliving 1907 gives back to the bigger community of Las Palmas.

During one month, it’s usually a schedule of mixed free and paid activities. Some interesting events that you could find in Coliving 1907 are:

• International potluck dinner
• Raw tapas workshop
• Spanish workshop
• Coworking day

For us, participating in these kinds of events and hosting one of them in this structure was something new and very interesting and we find it to be another selling point of this coliving.

Managing a coliving this way is not very common and can be challenging. It’s much easier to have a community manager that will entertain guests daily in order to get good reviews and a positive experience. Coliving 1907 took that risk and exceeded it. Raquel did an amazing job using the opportunities of the city to engage the coliving’s community, but also, providing a balance between intense digital nomad experiences and tranquil home life.

With this approach, she managed to create a valuable family-like community that stays alive beyond the booking dates.

We appreciate your support!

Thank you for reading our content and following our journey! We are working towards becoming full-time content creators and being able to share stories with you even more frequently. If you’d like to support us to be one step closer to that goal, you can do it through Ko-Fi! 👇🏽

Secure yourself the best coliving experience

• italki – Why not learn some Spanish before your trip and make your coliving even better? italki is the perfect platform for that, where more than 3500 native speakers are waiting to help you with your Spanish.

Learn more about coliving

• • Interviews with Coliving Operators

Coliving 1907 – A historical house telling a unique story of Las Palmas

• ByMarko
• November 5, 2022

• • Coliving Movement

Why Spain should be your first coliving experience?

• ByMarko
• November 18, 2021

The post Coliving Spain 2022: #6 Coliving 1907 – Your peaceful refuge in the Digital Nomad Center of Gran Canaria appeared first on My Coliving Space: Spain.

They replaced their stationary offices with many different things, from home offices to coworking spaces, where some of them decided to go even further and bring their working station with them all across the globe.

We already covered this topic in our separate article about coworking nomads, so feel free to check it out.

This trend has become more and more popular among new generations of workers, due to many different reasons, but one certain thing is that this trend has allowed a new living model to be born, and that is coliving.

What is coliving?

Coliving is a new living model, where visitors have an opportunity to share accommodation with other like-minded people, usually remote workers, and digital nomads.

Even though colivings don’t strictly reserve spots for these groups, due to the nature of their jobs, digital nomads, freelancers, and remote workers are the most common enjoyers of this type of lifestyle.

Coliving places are usually equipped with shared working areas, where visitors have the opportunity to carry on with their work without the need to leave their accommodation. This amenity makes these places perfect for people that require a stable internet connection, and a defined working environment.

Keeping all that in mind, since this is still a relatively new model of living, it is hard to give one overall definition for coliving.

Concept of coliving

The co-living model is built on the concept of sharing your life with others and having support from a community of like-minded individuals. This concept is not something new, and it existed in different forms throughout the history of mankind.

Today, we are only going to concentrate on the latest concept of coliving, the one that we see is rising in popularity right now. There are many defining aspects of coliving accommodation, but the next five aspects stand out as the pillars of coliving:

Long-term stays

First of all, coliving does not come from the idea of a standard tourist trip. In fact, it doesn’t even start with the goal of traveling, but more of a goal of experiencing a new way of living.

Instead of focusing on tourist attractions, these places provide you with a genuine local experience and the opportunity to discover what it’s like to live like a local.

For you to enjoy the real benefits of coliving, you should stay at your desired place at least for a month. To support this idea, most colivings actually don’t rent their rooms for shorter stays.

A longer stay will allow you to truly experience how it feels to live there, connect with the local area, and maybe even develop some deeper connections with your fellow colivers.

Shared accommodation

Coliving places are usually have shared areas where visitors can interact with other colivers. The most common ones are the kitchen, working area, communal area, relaxing area, etc.

Unlike hotels and hostels, coliving places put a lot of thought into their communal areas so they would spark conversations and inspire you to come together. Community is a big part of colivings, so the communal areas are also a big part of what makes colivings different compared to other accommodations out there.

However, unlike in hostels, in colivings, you don’t share all rooms with others. Some rooms are there to connect you with others, but you will also have your privacy because, in most places, bedrooms and even bathrooms are private.

A big difference is that hostels are usually oriented towards shorter stays, while, like we already mentioned, coliving places are built for long-term stays. Even though a person can share a room with many different people for a short period, it’s a bit tricky for an adult to stay for a month or longer while never having their privacy.

Building community

Access to the community might be the most important factor that divides coliving places from other types of accommodations. Again, the emphasis here is not on the accommodation but the whole experience, so redefining coliving from “a type of accommodation” to a “way of living” might be the right thing to do.

Colivings are built around their colivers and they offer a place where you can meet other people, co-live, and interact.

Most coliving places are very proud of their communities, considering them as one of their most important qualities.

These places offer a perfect opportunity to meet like-minded people, share your life, ideas, etc.

All these lead us to the next pillar of coliving, which is coworking.

Coworking

Coworking is something that has gained popularity in the last decade or two, and which, in some way, opened room for coliving to fully emerge as a concept. Keeping that in mind, you can say that coliving is built on coworking.

Most of the coliving places have their coworking areas which allow people to have fully-equipped offices built in their accommodation.

This is a super important feature for the new working class. As we said, so many people switched to working remotely, and so many companies started hiring people to work remotely.

Covid definitely had a significant impact on this change, but even without it, it would probably happen very soon.

Companies have realized that they can bring so much more talent in-house without limiting themselves by distance, or even country borders. Along with that, by hiring people remotely, companies found a way to cut costs by not renting offices (that can be so expensive), as well as sometimes paying their employees salaries matching their location.

All in all, so many people started working remotely and soon realized that having a designated working area instead of working from their living rooms, or a coffee shop could be very beneficial on their productivity, expenses, etc. That’s where coworking places started getting attention.

And now, in colivings, coworking mostly goes into the price of your room.

Coliving activities

Coliving activities are something that really adds up value and uniqueness to each coliving space. Usually, the activities revolve around some local-related stuff which additionally provides you with an opportunity to truly experience the place or a city where you are staying.

Coliving owners are the ones that usually organize these activities, and it is a good way to help colivers build some bonds and have fun while doing it.

And of course, they are a perfect way to take your mind from hard work and charge your batteries.

There are no limits to what these activities can be, but usually, they are arts and crafts sessions, wine-tasting, surfing, etc. If you want to check out some of the activities that some places in Spain offer, check these two articles where we talk about this.

Coliving activities in Spain

• • Coliving Movement

List of most unique activities that coliving places in Spain offer

• ByMarko
• April 13, 2022

• • Coliving Movement

8 Most Popular Coliving Activities in Spain

• ByGala
• February 23, 2022

Coliving in Europe

Some of the first coliving places in Europe, in this latest form, started opening at the beginning of the 2010s’.

Today, colivings places exist all over Europe, and they are getting more and more popular. Almost every country in Europe has at least one coliving place.

The biggest players though, are Spain, France, and Germany.

Coliving in Spain

Spain is one the pioneers of the coliving movement in Europe. Some of the first coliving places on the oldest continent start opening here in Spain.

Even though it firstly appeared in this form 7-8 years ago, the big wave of coliving places can be noticed somewhere around the Covid outbreak. This is not unusual. Throughout history, we can see some of the greatest community movements took place during and after tough times.

Covid especially impacted the getting-together and brought loneliness and isolation, so a logical next step was to make places where people can start being part of a group again and surround themselves with others.

Some of the biggest coliving centers are the Canary Islands, Barcelona, and Valencia.

These days there are 20-30 different coliving places around Spain, and you can experience everything from rural coliving to colivings for families.

If you are more interested in discovering about the coliving movement in Spain, you can jump to our separate article where we cover all of that.

Also, recently we started an interview series with coliving owners in Spain, so you can check out their perspective on this movement.

Types of colivings

As we already stated, there isn’t a single definition of what coliving should look like. That is why there are numerous different types of coliving places.

Each of those places has its own approach to coliving, and all of them put some personal touch on this concept. That is one more charm of the coliving movement since it allows its members to shape it.

Some of the most common types of coliving places are:

Rural coliving

Rural coliving is probably the most popular form of coliving. The usual motivation for people choosing this type of coliving is to escape from the everyday chaos of city life.

These types of places allow their colivers exactly that, but also the opportunity to continue with their jobs and have all necessary equipment which they can find in the cities.

These places also often promote sustainability and help the local economies grow. The food is either grown in the coliving and colivers take care of it, or the coliving supplies its food and other necessities from local vendors and thus supports the rural community.

With the increase of people enjoying the digital nomad lifestyle, the gentrification of rural and exotic places also increased. People traveling abroad, renting places, and working from coffee shops has had an impact on the local prices, so places like these come as a great alternative and show that you can also support the local growth and development while enjoying a modern stay with fully equipped amenities.

Coliving for families

Not many coliving places are optimized for people with children, and that is why in recent months there are new places that are dealing with this issue. One of them is iSlow, which is opening its space to visitors in April 2022.

Opening the doors to families with small kids can encourage more young couples not to choose between experiencing the world and starting a family but to embrace it all. Growing up in these settings can have a huge positive impact on the children, which we yet have to explore.

New ways of working mean new ways of lifestyle and that definitely includes family life, so it’s amazing to see that there are places that will try to incorporate that into the new coworking-coliving lifestyle.

Coliving for artists

As we said, coliving places are not restricted only to remote workers and traveling freelancers. Some colivings are targeting different groups of visitors.

One representative of these places can be Kalart. They have a process of selection where they are looking to filter out and enrich their community with a diversity of different types of creatives and artists.

They do not target people who would work on their laptops 8 hours a day, but instead people that would share their art skills, make music together, tell stories, etc.

Coliving places for students

Even though coliving places are oriented towards a bit older audience, there are still places that target students and younger people.

These places are more organized around parties and student lifestyles instead of the traditional coworking approach. One of the examples is Coliving Porto which often hosts Erasmus students.

Benefits of coliving

This model of living has so many benefits to offer and it allows its visitors to fully enjoy the local aspect while staying in a new place.

Other than that, coliving places give a sense of community. In the last few decades we were all transitioning to a digital era, and like with any other transition, we lost a bit of ourselves in the process. The communities have weakened, and people became more private and individually-oriented.

Now all our lives are tightly connected to our screens. Instead of going for a coffee, we can now hang out with friends over video calls, instead of visiting the gym, we can work out in our bedroom watching an influencer online, instead of cooking, your dinner can now be at your doorstep in just a few clicks.

Now, you can listen to whole concerts on streaming platforms, talk to your colleagues via chat, and your kids can learn in virtual classrooms while looking at their peers through the screen.

After a decade of improving the technology to be able to do all these things online, we’re all now in desperate need of connecting in real life.

We need to connect with:

• Ourselves
• Our friends, colleagues, our family
• The food; our bodies, our health
• The nature, the art, the freedom

Colivings are built on the above – the real connection in the real world but without going completely offline; they’re about bringing the balance into our lives and doing it together.

We appreciate your support!

Thank you for reading our content and following our journey! We are working towards becoming full-time content creators and being able to share stories with you even more frequently. If you’d like to support us to be one step closer to that goal, you can do it through Ko-Fi! 👇🏽

Secure yourself the best coliving experience

• Coliving.com – The most popular platform for finding coliving spaces online. On top of that, they have the biggest base of coliving accommodation in the world.
• SafetyWing – The best travel insurance for digital nomads and remote workers. It is perfect for all people who want to experience a coliving way of lifestyle.

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Coliving

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• • Coliving Movement

Why Spain should be your first coliving experience?

• ByMarko
• November 18, 2021

The post Coliving 101 – Become a part of a global movement appeared first on My Coliving Space: Spain.

With a completely new work culture, new ways of living and connecting with people are also taking over. The world from 5 years ago can no longer keep up with our lives and fulfill our needs so friend groups, coworkers, and even families are changing to accommodate these needs.

Coliving spaces are one of these new-world creations made to meet the needs of a new working class – freelancers, digital nomads, travelers, and millennials that are trying to figure out themselves in this new world shift.

How is the world of work changing?

People quitting 9 – 5 jobs

The classical 9-5 jobs are less and less popular, and merging your work into your life is becoming a reality. There are many people jokingly saying „I quit my 9-5 so I can start my own business, and now I’m working 24/7“.

The truth is that we, as a society, are working more than ever because we have learned how to support our lifestyles by doing what we love.

Even though quitting 9-5 and living out of your hobby sounds like a dream, it can also more easily lead to burnout. The motivation for work when the product or service is completely and solely yours hits differently and you can find yourself pushing your limits way more than you should.

While the new work philosophy emphasizes people’s true callings and inspires young to explore their passions, it also calls for a completely new vision of work-life balance.

Flexible working hours

Another perk of today’s work philosophy is flexible working hours. The ability to micromanage your working hours puts your life before your work.

We are finally realizing that we should not be aligning our lives with our work, but the other way around. This philosophy also gives you the opportunity to look into your needs and address them instead of pushing them under the rug because you’re focused on work.

People finally have time to stop and meet their micro needs on a daily basis. You can pick the times for your hobbies and relaxation, which gives you space to unlock all these new things within yourself.

With this newly-acquired time on our hands, we’re starting to become aware that we have other needs to satisfy, and that the traditional work-life culture isn’t made for that.

That’s why new social settings are emerging and creating spaces for people to express themselves beyond work. With the change of the working culture, the entertainment, relaxation, and social norms are also changing.

People are seeking connections, places, and activities that will help them relax by inspiring them instead of making them numb.

Ability to work remote

Today, most of us can take our work wherever we go. You pack your laptop in your backpack, and you can work from anywhere and anytime. However, there is a downside to this lifestyle that we’re all rushing into. Silly as it sounds, being always from your work in the past also meant disconnecting from it and letting your mind focus on something else.

Even if being this flexible sounds convenient, this means that work can always sneak into your mind even when you’re trying to relax. Remote work means that your office can be anywhere, but it also means that your office might be everywhere.

That’s why one of the rules of the new working culture is knowing how to set boundaries, for others but also for yourself.

Bigger responsibilities

Another huge change is that so many young people today are CEOs, managers, or other roles that bring a lot of responsibility. 10-20 years ago, people trained years to take that kind of responsibility, and now, only with opening your online store or setting up your online business, you are in charge of it all.

Most young people are actually aspiring to take on their business – at least a lot more people than before. Owning your business is not reserved for the special ones anymore, and practically with the right motivation, anybody can do it – which is amazing!

But, because of that, young people today bear this enormous responsibility toward their jobs while also juggling to maintain/build social connections, relax, travel, maintain or start relationships, and be young and live their best lives. And all that can be overwhelming.

Colivings as spaces made to meet the needs of the new working generation

In this new working setting, we are all in tremendous need of community support.

Digital nomads, freelancers, and remote workers all have one thing in common, and that is that they very often work alone most of their time. At least if they don’t join working communities like coworking spaces or coliving spaces. Colivings understand the need for remote workers to connect with others like themselves.

Without classical office jobs, we’re also missing people with whom we could share our problems on launch breaks, who might understand us because we’re working for the same company, etc. And these all are important for one’s mental health.

Besides community, coliving spaces are made to meet both the working and leisure needs of the new working generation with spaces thoughtfully designed to inspire the mind and balance out the work-life relationship.

Colivings offer a built-in community. (Coliving communities)

Coliving spaces focus on building new-age communities of people with similar views on the world. These communities are meant to help people connect with others like themselves and share a part of their world with people who will truly understand them.

When choosing to work as a digital nomad or travel while working, you might not receive support from your regular community. Your friends or family who live traditional lives might not understand your needs or your problems, so connecting with people who do can really make a difference in your mental health.

Not only do these communities offer support, but you can also meet so many talented people that can help you build your business. You might meet people that could contribute to your story or help connect with others that can help your wheels roll. These communities are all about sharing ideas, exploring together, and sharing services and talents.

Colivings are built to help you unwind after work.

Working remotely and especially running your own business can be extremely exhausting. Working long hours on your computer can affect a person’s overall health and disconnect them from reality.

Having that in mind, coliving spaces focus on providing safe spaces for relaxing and connecting with people enriched with fun and inspirational activities that help you unwind and introduce some balance in your life.

These can be yoga classes to help your mind and body, surfing to help your body and soul, music-listening sessions to open, relax and inspire you, cooking together to help you connect with others and feed your sensory needs, etc.

Watching a movie or a show is something we still love and do, but since our worlds have moved into the digital space, it’s important to participate in activities that disconnect us from the screen.

Coliving spaces prioritize the importance of reconnecting with nature, people around you, and yourself, so even if you don’t know how to introduce these changes yourself, the surroundings will motivate you.

Here is a list of some of the most unique experiences colivings offer to meet your soul’s needs if you’d like to get inspired.

Providing a healthy working environment

Being built for the new generation of workers, colivings almost always come with coworking spaces. These spaces are also always carefully crafted for the needs of a digital worker. They are well-equipped with up-to-date amenities, office furniture, and all you might need for peaceful and productive work.

The work environment is especially important for productive and stressless work, so these spaces are often designed to inspire you and help you concentrate.

A healthy space should have a lot of natural light, good airflow, be decluttered, and provide you with reliable equipment and amenities.

Besides all that, coworking spaces give you coworkers even if you’re working on your laptop, so there is always the opportunity to take a break and have a chat with someone, share a smile, or just take a stroll with someone on your break. That really makes a difference.

Living lighter

Visiting coliving spaces means traveling, and because the stays are almost always at least a few weeks long, it might even mean “moving” a lot. After going away for the first few times, you will realize that living lighter is not only easier for traveling but also easier for the mind.

You will not be able to carry all your material belongings with you wherever you go, and you will need to learn to choose what is really important. This will also help you realize that many things that you own are probably not as important for your everyday life as you might have thought.

Learning to live lighter is so beneficial for the environment and yourself as an individual. This way, you will learn not to spend money on unnecessary things and leave the money to spend on experiences that will stick with you forever. It will also teach you not to support fast fashion, overconsumption and thus, you will be helping the environment.

Living light is hard to start, but once you get used to it – it’s worth it. You will find that living light means no more frustration about the material things; more creativity when it comes to fashion and clothes, more creativity overall when it comes to living, and more time and money to spend on valuable experiences that will enrich you emotionally, and spiritually.

We appreciate your support!

Thank you for reading our content and following our journey! We are working towards becoming full-time content creators and being able to share stories with you even more frequently. If you’d like to support us to be one step closer to that goal, you can do it through Ko-Fi! 👇🏽

Secure yourself the best coliving experience

• Coliving.com – The most popular platform for finding coliving spaces online. On top of that, they have the biggest base of coliving accommodation in the world.
• SafetyWing – The best travel insurance for digital nomads and remote workers. It is perfect for all people who want to experience a coliving way of lifestyle.

Disclaimer: This article contains some affiliate links.  At no additional cost for you, we can earn a small commission if you decide to make a purchase.

Coliving

• • Coliving Movement

How to choose the right coliving for yourself?

• ByGala
• January 23, 2022

• • Coliving Movement

Why Spain should be your first coliving experience?

• ByMarko
• November 18, 2021

The post Coworking nomads – How the world is adapting to new philosophy of work appeared first on My Coliving Space: Spain.

Making a step like this is not as easy as choosing a hotel, and we know it. You’re choosing a place to call your home for the next month or more which is a long period for a bad experience.

Also, there are many more factors to consider than when choosing a hotel room or an Airbnb so the whole process can become overwhelming. But, don’t worry – we’re here to help.

Find below our guide on how to choose the right coliving for yourself.

Why is choosing a coliving space different from booking a room?

First, let’s break down why booking a room is so much different than choosing your coliving.

When booking a room, your trip is the priority, and the accommodation is behind it. When choosing a coliving, the accommodation is in the first place.

With coliving, you are looking to stay for a month or more instead of booking a room for a few days up to 2 weeks, as per usual on vacations.

When looking for a coliving, you are looking for a place that will be both your home and your office for the next month or more. When choosing an apartment to live in, you would probably take a bit more precaution than when booking a vacation stay.

In typical vacation rentals, you are less likely to have shared spaces that are meant to connect you with others, and in colivings, that is one of the main focuses.

So, now that we established how different a coliving is from a regular vacation/travel rental, let’s get to some tips on how to choose the right one for yourself.

Start by writing down what you are looking for

Why do you want to stay in coliving? What motivates you? It helps to think about this as a first step and prioritize what you’re looking for. When you know your priorities, you will know where to start.

Cheaper place to stay

Do you already have a long trip planned and are now looking for a cheaper place to stay? If that is the case, the factor that you should start from is costs.

A place to connect with people

But maybe you are just looking for a place to connect with people. In that case, you’re obviously going to look for a coliving that has a lot of people, somewhere vibrant.

Looking for a coworking place

Maybe you’re tired of working from home, but also don’t want an office, so you’re looking for an amazing place for work. In that case, you should focus on great work environments before the location or the people.

There are tons of reasons why somebody would choose to go to a coliving, so give yourself time to think this through – what are you looking to gain from this experience?

For example, we’re looking to connect with people, but we also would love to find a place in Spain to practice Spanish and work our way onto moving there. So, those two factors have already narrowed our search.

We will look into colivings in Spain (luckily there are a lot of them, you can check some of the options here), but we will also focus on big cities such as Barcelona and Valencia that would have a lot of people visiting.

Try to find your reasons, and the search will be 50% easier.

Choosing a location (the big picture)

If your priorities are not set on the location, this will be one of the next steps. What are some factors to consider when choosing the location?

• The first thing is obviously to find out which locations offer coliving spaces.
• Secondly, and more importantly, where can you find the specific thing you are searching for? After you narrow down the search (Eg. 50 cities that have coliving spaces that have yoga practice), you can try to consider these factors to narrow the search even more:

Distance from your home

This one is a no-brainer. If it’s super far, expensive, and/or complicated to visit, maybe leave it for the next time. If this is your first coliving, it is better to make things as easy as possible. But don’t worry, wherever you are there are options.

The US has some awesome colivings in San Francisco and NY; Europe has colivings all over the place. South America has some great options in Colombia and Argentina, and Asia has colivings in Indonesia, Hong Kong, or India.

Time of the year you’re visiting

If you have a specific period of the year that you are planning on going to, ask Google what places are worth visiting at that time.

Also, this is a good way to explore if the location will be crowded or a ghost town. Some coliving are packed during the tourist season. If you’re there for the people and networking, the tourist season might even be a bad choice.

Many regular tourists might choose these places for longer stays, and many digital nomads avoid staying during these periods. Always read the comments and do a bit of stalking if that’s important to you.

COVID-19 protocols

Now, this one is obvious but worth mentioning. That is the reality that we live in. Covid rules change rapidly, especially in Europe. And not the whole European Union has the same rules, so be careful.

Do good research on the official embassy websites before you depart.

The living costs

Remember: you’re not coming as a tourist, but more as a short-term resident. If you’re coming on a budget, check websites like Numbeo to see the living costs in the place you’re thinking about visiting.

Check the food prices in supermarkets, transportation costs in the area, etc.

Choosing the location (the small picture)

Now, this is not something that you will be able to choose everywhere, but if a city has multiple options for a coliving, here are some tips on how to choose the right one according to its location.

Workspaces

If the coliving doesn’t have a workspace (which is unusual, but it can happen), it’s best if it is close to a local coffee shop that is great for working or some offices that you can rent.

Having your place far away from a working area can be exhausting and take your time away from the magic that coliving offers.

Transportation

We mentioned this one previously, but check if the coliving is well-connected with other parts of the city. You will be staying there for quite some time, so it’s important to be connected with other parts of the city, as well – restaurants, city center, parks, etc.

This will also help you calculate your budget. If you’re far from the city, you’ll need to invest in renting a car or find a similar solution to be mobile.

Basics

Another handy thing to check before choosing your coliving is if there are supermarkets, coffee shops, parks, etc. nearby.

Since you’ll be living there, it’s great to see if your neighborhood offers these basics because not all do.

The neighborhood

Other important things about a neighborhood are if it is loud, tranquil, is it safe, in which zone is it (centric, university, outside the city). These all are important to match what you’re looking for.

Amenities check-list for choosing a perfect coliving place

There are some basic amenities that every rental, and not only colivings, has to offer, but co-living spaces have other important amenities. Here’s what to look for:

Privacy

Some coliving spaces offer private rooms, while others have bunk beds like hostels. Most of the places have both types so you can see what works the best for you. However, it’s important to check if the rooms offer enough privacy; are there any private zones where you can hide from the others?

Also, it’s great to see if the bathrooms/toilets are private or shared and if they are shared to see what that means exactly and how many people will be sharing it.

Again, remember, you’ll be staying here long, so having the possibility of being alone without anyone bothering is still important.

Working spaces and amenities

Working environments are super important for colivings because most people coming are digital nomads or remote workers.

If you are one of those people, be sure to check how a coliving has handled this. Does it have designated working areas, a fast and reliable Wifi, charging places, Zoom rooms, etc.? Most coliving spaces have coworking offices, but some can be more basic than others.

Depending on your job, analyze the working areas, read the comments, and see if you will be able to work uninterrupted there. If you need some office supplies or furniture to work, be sure to ask the coliving if they have that and if it is possible to rent it.

Recreational spaces

Recreational and relaxation spaces are a big thing in colivings. The whole culture of coliving is made for digital workers who spend a lot of their time working on the computers. For those looking at a screen for most of their day, it’s important to add balance to their lives and to have spaces to unplug.

These spaces can be gardens, chill zones, private spaces, a pool, a bar, a disco zone, etc. Different colivings offer different stuff, so looking into those can tell you a lot about the culture of a coliving and help you see if it matches your energy.

Activities

The coliving places definitely wouldn’t be so interesting to digital nomads and other visitors without all the activities that are included during your stay.

Activities, events, and hobbies are a usual feature of coliving places. Some of the most common activities you can expect to find are daily yoga, surfing, Sunday BBQs, etc.

Other than those common ones you can always expect from coliving places to go one step further and to organize some unusual and unique activities for their colivers.

Kitchen and bathroom

This one is obvious so we’re not going to speak a lot about it, but be sure to analyze how well-equipped the kitchen and the bathroom are. Since you will be living there, make sure the place has all the necessary amenities.

Safety

Since you’ll be sharing most of these places with other people, be sure to check if there is a safe place to leave your personal belongings. If you’re sharing the room, there should probably be lockers with keys for each person.

Where to start your search

We hope these tips will help you choose the right coliving for yourself. If you struggle where to start looking, we recommend Coliving.com. They have plenty of options there, and you can use the filter to navigate your search.

If you want to see other suggestions, we covered some Colivings in Spain that we thought were cool, so go check that out.

Let us know if this helped you!

We appreciate your support!

Thank you for reading our content and following our journey! We are working towards becoming full-time content creators and being able to share stories with you even more frequently. If you’d like to support us to be one step closer to that goal, you can do it through Ko-Fi! 👇🏽

Secure yourself the best coliving experience

• Coliving.com – The most popular platform for finding coliving spaces online. On top of that, they have the biggest base of coliving accommodation in the world.
• SafetyWing – The best travel insurance for digital nomads and remote workers. It is perfect for all people who want to experience a coliving way of lifestyle.

Disclaimer: This article contains some affiliate links.  At no additional cost for you, we can earn a small commission if you decide to make a purchase.

Coliving in Spain

• • Coliving Movement

Coliving 101 – Become a part of a global movement

• ByMarko
• March 12, 2022

• • Coliving Movement

Why Spain should be your first coliving experience?

• ByMarko
• November 18, 2021

The post How to choose the right coliving for yourself? appeared first on My Coliving Space: Spain.

Spain is not lacking in this either. In fact, it is one of the most progressive countries when it comes to the coliving movement.

That lets us wonder, what is the reason behind this? Why Spain is one of the pioneers in this field?

To explain that, first we need to take a deeper look into the Spanish culture.

Let’s dive in!

Disclaimer: This article contains some affiliate links.  At no additional cost to you, we can earn a small commission if you decide to make a purchase.

Coliving culture in Spain

The first thing you realize when you come to Spain is that the flats are very big. It is common for apartments in Spain to be over 1000 square feet (or 100m²) with a lot of rooms and spacious shared areas.

The reason behind that is probably that traditionally in Spain big families used to live together under the same roof. It was not uncommon to see multiple generations living together in those big apartments. So it is not hard to understand why the coliving way of lifestyle fits into the Spanish culture.

How popular is coliving in Spain?

As we already mentioned, Spain is one of the most popular countries when it comes to coliving.

First, we have remote workers and digital nomads from Spain and other countries who are most likely to stay in this type of co-living accommodation during their nomadic journeys. They are usually looking for places to meet and hang out with people with similar mindsets.

Secondly, Spain is one of the most popular countries for all kinds of student exchanges. Many students from all across the world come to Spain to study every year. Even though in the start coliving places were leaning more towards travelers and young adults, now more and more students are choosing this as a solution for their accommodation during their schooling days in Spain.

Which cities in Spain are the most popular for coliving?

It is hard to choose just one specific part of Spain as a center of coliving because it is so popular throughout the whole country. Spain is a big and colorful country with many different regions and places that each one carries different experiences.

Some offer that crazy big-city party vibe, some act like retreats with surfing, beaches, and yoga classes, and some focus on nature and simple raw experiences. That’s why we’ll cover a couple of those that could proudly hold the title of centers of coliving in Spain.

Coliving Barcelona

Barcelona has always been one of the biggest cultural centers in the whole of Europe.

In addition to that, with its strong presence of hostels, it has already been established as one of the leaders when it comes to accommodation for working travelers.

With many people choosing Barcelona as a go-to place to spend their 20s and 30s, it is no wonder why there are so many coliving places in this Catalonian capital.

Barcelona is a vibrant and exciting city. It’s perfect to meet new people, try out new experiences and live your best life. Surrounded by cultural events, concerts, ambitious people, and a city that never sleeps, it can be a perfect next destination.

If you think you would thrive in Barcelona check our article on how you can experience it to the fullest while saving money, only by choosing coliving.

Coliving Canary Islands

A remote Spanish archipelago off the coast of northwestern Africa is one of the most exotic locations in the world.

It attracts millions of tourists each year, according to statista.com, so it is a no-brainer why it is one of the most popular destinations for digital nomads all across the world. Its remote nature and beautiful beaches perfectly follow the idea of coliving.

For example, Tenerife gives you that small community vibe and an opportunity to reconnect with yourself. It’s great to slow your pace, and truly be a hedonist and enjoy every second of your day.

If this seems interesting to you and like a place you’d choose for your stay, feel free to check our newest article on why the Canary Islands are the most popular place for coliving and see if it truly matches your vibe.

Coliving in Valencia

In general, Valencia is one of the most modern cities in the whole Spain. It is filled with tons of opportunities for all groups of people.

On top of that, Valencia is one of the pioneers in the coliving movement in Spain. It is perfect for those who want to try out something new and experience coliving/coworking culture.

There are numerous coliving and coworking options all across the city, especially in Russafa and Eixample neighborhoods. Because of that, many people have already chosen Valencia as their new home.

And to be honest, we are also one of those people – or at least we are planning to be. During our last trip to Valencia, we decided to try out some of the coworking places. We wanted to see if they would be suitable for our lifestyle.

One of them, CoWorkup, stroke as a great place to work and to build community. That is especially important if you’re just moving to the city. The staff was super welcoming and invited us to their Friday hangouts. Sadly, we couldn’t go, but it was a nice thing of them. They were particularly open about wanting to make a community and connect.

Coliving in other parts of Spain

Besides Barcelona, the Canary Islands, and Valencia there are a few more coliving centers in Spain. Most of them are concentrated around larger cities like Seville and Madrid.

On top of that, there are also a lot of independent coliving places all across the country in rural locations.

Digital nomads often choose rural places because they offer an escape from everyday chaos in bigger cities. In addition, those places let them connect more with nature. Working on a laptop is often very tiring so a quiet environment provides a necessary balance to a healthy life.

The average price of coliving spaces in Spain

One of the main pillars of the coliving movement is to solve the problem of overpriced hotels and help travelers stay on their budget.

When it comes to Spain, it is hard to specify the exact price of coliving arrangements. The main reason for that is because it is a big country and standards vary from city to city.

However, based on our research and depending on the type of rooms you are looking for, prices of coliving spaces in Spain can be divided into two groups.  Coliving spaces mostly consist of dorms of 4-10 bunk beds, but also have a few private rooms. So, usually, you will have the option to choose between sharing a room with other people or going with the more private option.

Based on that, you can expect the following:

• Bed in a shared dormitory: Between $600 and $1200 per month
• Private (single) room: Between $1200 and $2500 per month

Even though these prices do not seem like a cheaper option at first glance, they often come with a lot more than just a place to sleep. So, to really put it all on paper, you need to take into consideration everything else that is included.

What else is included in that price?

The purpose of coliving is not just to provide cheaper accommodation, it is much more beyond that. This concept was built from the idea to deliver a space where visitors can meet other travelers, hang out and share ideas.

On top of that, these accommodation provide their visitors with a working space, which is another big thing that differentiates them from regular hostels. It is hard to imagine coliving without coworking.

That is why one of the first things that a coliving place needs to provide is an environment suitable for work.

Some of the amenities that can be found in many co-living accommodations in Spain are fast WiFi, meeting rooms, Skype rooms, projectors, etc. Everything that is necessary for digital nomads to continue their jobs without any problems.

Secondly, a coliving provides you a place to relax from your work, and not to feel like you are stuck in a cubical. That is why there are usually a lot of chill-out areas and outdoor spaces that can help you with that. Again, these features come from the needs of digital workers, and a need for that healthy balance between the digital and the real world is a top priority.

Finally, coliving places usually try to retain the authentic local feel by providing visitors with an opportunity to try some local food at reasonable prices.

Additional features you can get depending on coliving space

Coliving spaces can have only the basics like sleeping areas, workspaces, and shared areas to cook, relax and hang out. But often they can have extra options that bring even more value.

In fact, it’s a well-established practice for these places to provide extra activities included in the price. Usually, it is some kind of physical recreation that you can practice while staying there, such as yoga, swimming, biking, surfing, etc.

On the other hand, some try to go one step further by organizing some unusual and unique coliving activities that you can experience while staying there.

Coliving places in Spain that we’re planning to visit in 2023

Coliving Valencia – WayCo (Valencia)

The Coliving Valencia provides you with a 2-in-1 solution. Their offer includes both coliving and coworking options. During our most recent stay in Spain, we had an opportunity to experience working in one of their two coworking spaces (Wayco Abastos).

Their space was fully equipped with everything necessary for remote work, from isolated Skype rooms, different sizes of meeting rooms, fast internet, and lots of desks. You can choose between a flexible and fixed desk, as you can in most coworking spaces. On top of everything, it is really quiet and people respect that, which can be important for most people.

They also have a kitchen and a dining room where you can leave your food and share a meal with others. They also have free coffee, tea, and water for every visitor.

Besides that, they provide you with accommodation. To be more precise, boutique apartments, in some of the best neighborhoods in Valencia. Since we are planning to return to Valencia by the end of this year, we are definitely going to check their coliving spaces, too.

Sun and Co. (Xabia)

Located in Xàbia, a small coastal town in the province of Alicante, Valencia, on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. The Sun and Co. is one of the first coliving places in this part of Europe.

It is a 19th-century house renovated with the purpose of creating space for digital nomads and other travelers alike to gather, hang out, and share ideas with people that nurture similar values.

Nine Coliving (Tenerife)

Nine Coliving is one of the many co-living spaces in beautiful Tenerife, the largest of Spain’s Canary Islands. Based in the historic center of La Orotava, surrounded by the astonishing nature of this touristic paradise, it provides an oasis for digital workers.

Once again, it is situated in an old house restored to satisfy the needs of modern travelers. It is a perfect place for digital nomads who are looking to meet people with similar backgrounds, learn some new things, and charge their batteries in Tenerife.

Sende (Senderiz)

Sende is a countryside coworking and coliving space in northern Spain. Stationed in a small village Senderiz in the Galicia region with less than 20 inhabitants.

Protected by a range of mountains from all stresses that can be created by city life. This place consists of a few old Galician houses transformed into functional areas for coliving and coworking.

This place provides a feeling of community and gives you the opportunity to reconnect with yourself, nature, and others like yourself.

How to find coliving places in Spain?

Booking platforms for co-living spaces are definitely the easiest way to start searching, especially if you are new to this. They provide you with numerous options all in one place. Two places to start this search are Coliving.com and Anyplace.

What is the best platform for finding coliving spaces?

There are a couple of places online where you can discover places for your next trip. We would recommend Coliving.com. It is the most popular platform for finding coliving spaces online. On top of that, they have the biggest base of coliving accommodation in the world.

Why should you use Coliving.com to find a coliving place for your next trip?

First of all, each listing on the Coliving.com website is rich with all necessary information describing every single aspect of accommodation.

In addition to that, there is also information about the neighborhood and tips for local opportunities for each place listed. It is convenient to have all the information in one place because it can help you with your decision.

If you are new to this and are just looking where to start your search, we think Coliving.com is definitely the best place online to book your coliving accommodation. Because of that, we decided to partner up with Coliving.com and to offer you a 2.5% discount on your first month’s booking if you decide to book through our link.

We hope that will help you start your new adventure!

In addition, as affiliate partners, we will receive a small commission for any purchases made through our link.

We appreciate your support!

Thank you for reading our content and following our journey! We are working towards becoming full-time content creators and being able to share stories with you even more frequently. If you’d like to support us to be one step closer to that goal, you can do it through Ko-Fi! 👇🏽

Secure yourself the best coliving experience

• SafetyWing – The best travel insurance for digital nomads and remote workers. It is perfect for all people who want to experience a coliving way of lifestyle.
• italki – Why not learn some Spanish before your trip and make your coliving even better? italki is the perfect platform for that, where more than 3500 native speakers are waiting to help you with your Spanish.

Learn more about coliving

• • Interviews with Coliving Operators

The story behind Anceu Coliving – a rural escape with strong community

• ByMarko
• January 6, 2022

• • Coliving Movement

List of most unique activities that coliving places in Spain offer

• ByMarko
• April 13, 2022

The post Why Spain should be your first coliving experience? appeared first on My Coliving Space: Spain.