Even though they had a great first year, they want to continue growing and supporting local Galicia even more. That’s why iSlow will offer a number of new experiences in 2023 and we’re super excited to see them!

Read below the program of one of those new experiences and discover what awaits you in iSlow this year.

iSlow Coliving, 2023 season

Ines: It’s going to be one year since we opened our doors in April 2022. This has been a year full of challenges, but also full of rewarding and fulfilling experiences for us as hosts as well as our community.

During this 2023 season, we would like to use the experience we gained in 2022 to continue to focus on the family-centered approach to coliving.

This time adding specific packages that we hope will be of interest to the two main groups of colivers that make up our big coliving family:

• Solo travelers
• Families with kids

Focusing on the first group, we will be shortly launching our first pop-up coliving experience.

Hiking and Pop-up Coliving experience in Galicia

This is an all-inclusive hiking experience for 1 or 2 weeks from April-June 2023 with fellow digital nomads along the 8 stages of The Camiño Dos Faros, A Costa da Morte. The hidden gem of Galicia, Northern Spain.

The Camiño Dos Faros is a captivating hiking trail that passes all the iconic lighthouses and landmarks along A Costa da Morte in Northern Spain, a place where the sea holds a prominent role.

Who is this for?

This is a retreat-like experience for outdoor enthusiasts, avid hikers, and all those seeking to explore the wild coast of A Costa da Morte with a like-minded community of digital nomads.

Our participant’s profiles occupy a diverse range of individuals including frequent travelers, remote workers, and digital entrepreneurs.

What you’ll do

1) Hike Camino Dos Faros

You will have the opportunity to embark on an 8-stage hike along The Camiño dos Faros in the untouched coastal area of A Costa da Morte.

2) Experience coliving in Galicia

Your hiking adventure will be enriched with a community of fellow hiking enthusiasts and digital nomads.

While you enjoy the outdoors, you will be able to immerse yourself in full-board accommodation at iSlow Coliving and spend time with like-minded individuals.

3) Get Some Work Done

During your stay, you will be able to combine relaxation with productive work, without leaving your job or clients unattended. To support this, we have provided you with:

• 600 Mbps fiber optic internet connection;
• WI-FI 6 technology all around the house;
• Quiet Coworking rooms;
• Video call rooms;
• Bedrooms equipped with en-suite desks, chairs, and internet access.

4) Explore A Costa da Morte

Uncover the hidden gem of Galicia, its great food, slow and relaxed way of life, and untouched coastal landscapes.

What is included?

• TOP-LEVEL HIKING 
• PRIVATE OR SHARED ROOM IN A COLIVING ACCOMMODATION
• COWORKING SPACES
• TRANSPORTATION TO AND FROM HIKING SPOTS
• TASTY GALICIAN FOOD
  • Breakfasts
  • Picnic lunch on hike days (Cooked lunch on rest days)
  • Dinners
• GROUP ACTIVITIES TO CHOOSE FROM:
  • Yoga/stretching sessions for muscle recovery between hikes;
  • Laugh therapy;
  • Organized group visits;
  • Craft’s workshops;
  • Show cooking;

Program

*Prices vary depending on the room type and the length of your stay. Check out the link for prices.

Package options:

• Private room (en suite single room all for yourself) or Shared room (single bed shared room, 2–3 people)
• Length of stay: first week, second week, or full 2-week experience

In case you missed our Instagram Live Takeover with Ines Silva (owner of iSlow Coliving). You can find it below. 👇👇👇

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Travel & Tapas (@travel_and_tapas)

Other Coliving Events in Spain

• • Coliving Events

Pitaya Festival in Lanzarote – How it started, 1-year Anniversary, & Future Events

• ByMarko
• February 6, 2023

• • Coliving Events

Networking events in Las Palmas for Digital Nomads at Coliving 1907

• ByMarko
• March 7, 2023

The post Camiño Dos Faros – Exploring Galician Hiking Routes with iSlow Coliving appeared first on My Coliving Space: Spain.

With all the possibilities and the opportunities around us today, life sometimes seems too short to achieve all that we’re meant to. Because of this, society makes you think that you have to push harder every day so you wouldn’t find yourself behind your peers, colleagues, and neighbors.

And rushing into the day to achieve the maximum we can in those 24 hours we’re granted, we often forget to observe the moment. The truth is that we definitely cannot achieve everything in life. Chasing to accomplish it all will only make us lose the moments that truly count.

Taking your time to do things right and enjoying the process is definite to bring results that will last longer, have better quality, and be more stable. Living slowly doesn’t mean not trying hard and putting your time and heart into something. Living slowly only means acknowledging every step of the process as an important one, even taking a break.

Life doesn’t have a goal, there’s no finish line, so there is no reason to rush with anything. Taking your time to choose your path is what will secure the most wholesome path for you.

Slow living means taking the time to prepare your food and taking the time to eat it. It means taking the time to play with your kids and taking a walk on the beach, and knowing how to enjoy just sitting and chatting with your friends.

Ines and Julio, the founders of iSlow coliving, have embraced this philosophy and decided to share it with the world by making a coliving that will celebrate it. The name – iSlow – sparks interest on its own, and since they’re just at the beginning of their coliving journey, we decided to visit them and share their ideas with you.

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.

From living fast to iSlow

Ines and Julio lived several years in the UK and most of that time in London. Even though they loved London and still speak fondly about it, they moved back to Galicia in 2021. Rural Galicia might not have London’s lively atmosphere, but it has something very valuable – the tranquility and the philosophy of slow living.

This atmosphere is definitely better for kids, so having 5-year-old twins was another reason for Julio and Ines to choose Galicia over London.

Now, after Ines’s childhood house is renovated, and the traditional farmhouse from the area received a modern makeover, the whole family can enjoy and open its doors to all the traveling families out there.

By opening the doors of its coliving, the family is also opening the doors of Laxe to the world, and letting people learn about the beauty of this small town on beautiful Costa da Morte.

Laxe – a village for all tastes

Laxe is a municipality and a town in northern-west Galicia, on the Costa da Morte. It’s a small village with no more than 3000 people that becomes a popular local-tourism destination in the summer.

With its moderate climate and impeccable beaches in the area, Laxe is a destination that madrileños gladly choose to spend the summers in. The Bay of Corme and Laxe shelters Laxe’s beaches and the exit to the ocean from harsh oceanic winds which makes the beaches great for families and kids.

The beaches are ample and have nooks all over. They are the perfect amount of urban and wild. Besides the beaches, the village is surrounded by greenery and hills and has some great hiking spots. That’s why we say it has something for everyone.

If you’re not particularly fond of the rural charisma or prefer city vibes, iSlow provides you with a modern shelter a bit outside the village. If that is your cup of tea, coming during summer can be a great option because the town becomes more lively, the restaurants open, and nightlife wakes up.

Laxe is truly a gem and definitely worth a visit, especially when your home for the time is the iSlow house.

How to get to iSlow?

Speaking of bigger cities, you can come to iSlow from Santiago and La Coruna. La Coruna is closer, but it’s more or less the same where you come from.

Santiago’s airport has a bit better connection than the one in La Coruna, so you might find a flight to Santiago before La Coruna.

When in Galicia, it’s best to have or rent a car because the public transportation connections are not the best, especially in small villages.

From Santiago to Laxe

A bus from Santiago to Laxe and vice versa goes only on Mondays, so if you miss that day, you’ll need to find other options.

Our option was to ride a bus to Baio, a town 10-15 minutes away from Laxe where Julio picked us up in his car. The trip from Santiago to Baio cost us 4.5 euros per person.

From La Coruna to Laxe

Buses from La Coruna to Laxe are a bit better connected and go every day.

The iSlow neighborhood

The iSlow house is located about a kilometer outside the town of Laxe. In our personal opinion, the positioning is great. It is close enough to the village to go by foot but not in the center of the village which makes it very private and silent.

If you arrive by car, you’ll only need 2-3 minutes to get down to the town and grab a drink or go to the supermarket. It took us around 15 minutes by foot. The only downside is that the whole way down (and back up) you’ll be walking right next to the main road, but there’s plenty of space to go by.

When you reach the village, you will have two supermarkets available. The bigger one, Eroski, will have everything you need. It’s very well equipped for a small town.

There are also quite a few bars and restaurants to choose from in Laxe, so it shouldn’t be a problem to find a spot to sit down and have a drink or grab a bite. What was interesting to us is that we found Wifi access in some bars, which is not typical for Spain. Well, maybe it is for this region, but it’s definitely useful for foreigners.

The town beach is in the town center, so also about a 15-20 minutes walk from the house to it, and only a few minutes by car.

The house also has a huge backyard that they’re still working on but has huge potential.

The iSlow house

The house is a renovated traditional house from Laxe. The complete renovation took a few years but mostly because of the slow living philosophy of life. The time spent for the house to be what it is today is noticeable in every corner. That only proves that the slow living philosophy gives valuable results.

The history of the house

The first papers of the house indicate the year 1915, but it is probably even older than that.

It is a house Ines spent a good portion of her childhood living with her family and her great grandfather. She has some dear memories about the place and her family’s history with it, and she tries to incorporate them into the coliving experience.

For instance, the rooms carry special names telling their past stories, like this room called A vaca (the cow) which was Ines’ room when she was a child living in the house. Back in that time, a part of the house’s ground floor was a place where the stables for cows were and sleeping in a room a floor up, Ines could see the cows from the small crack in the floor.

Ines and Julio decided to renovate the house in such a way that they kept the traditional characteristics of the area that tell a story, and paired it with a modern natural design.

With such a proud history of the area, they thought it would be wrong not to keep the history in the concept of their coliving. And we couldn’t agree more with that.

The house (coliving) today

Today, the house carries a magazine-worthy look. The design combines the traditional yellow stone walls and old pillars, wooden doors, and antique farmhouse decor with the industrial elements and modern elements.

The coliving space currently has six common areas (kitchen, living room, common toilet, coworking area, a terrace, and a laundry room), and six private rooms. Both the number of common and private rooms will probably go up soon. Ines and Julio are preparing the huge piece of land behind the house for a few more spaces.

The kitchen

The kitchen is one of the most important parts of a long-term rental, and especially a coliving. For long-term stays, it’s important to have a good enough space to eat as you would at your home. So, having all the necessary amenities to cook and store food. For a coliving, similar to a hostel, it’s crucial to have a space where multiple people can eat and prepare food at the same time.

Well, iSlow did crazy well with the kitchen design! I think it might be safe to say that kitchen is one of the best features of the house!

The space is huge and comes with two cooking areas, two refrigerators, and sitting space for around 15-20 people. The room receives natural light from a window wall that opens to a common terrace.

When it comes to kitchen appliances and amenities, it’s fully equipped. It has loads of cooking equipment (pots and pans), a microwave, a toaster, an electric kettle, tons of utensils, plates, glasses, mugs, etc. There are also two sinks and a dishwasher.

The size of the space and number of basics make the kitchen convenient for multiple people to prepare the food and/or eat at the same time.

And above all, the size of the space and the beautiful design make the kitchen one of the best areas to hang out with other colivers.

Workspace/Coworking area

Workspace is another common area that can be very interesting to visitors. It has four big desks and provides working space for 6-7 people, but other than that, it is an office like you have never seen before!

Divided from the rest of the house with a glass wall, this space is a working oasis. The room receives a lot of natural light during the day because of two side exits to a patio and the backyard.

The industrial design mixed with the rustic and traditional stone makes this place tranquil and inspiring, but the best feature is a completely natural wall. This part of the house is leaned on the massive green rock that the owners decided to keep as an accent wall.

Its raw and completely natural state gives undescriptive energy to the space. It’s so natural that there’s even a plant growing from the rock inside the office. For the past two weeks, my favorite thing was to check on how the plant is growing. It’s beautiful.

The space feels like the outdoors, but you’re completely sheltered. Do you know that energy you feel when you’re deep down in the woods close to a small natural waterfall? This wall gives that energy to the office. It feels very natural, inspiring, and healthy for the soul and the mind.

If you are working long hours on your computer, I think this is the perfect place to do it because nature’s presence in the office will give you a healthy balance.

Other than that, the space comes with good wifi and plenty of office gadgets like a monitor, a kneeling chair, and a projector. So it’s like a fully equipped office space in the middle of the woods.

The rooms

The private rooms have that modern farmhouse design. They come with very comfortable beds, great storage for your things, a desk and a chair, an AC, and the best of all – super nice private bathrooms. Every room has its own bathroom with a rainfall shower.

On top of that, the rooms have electronic locking systems for extra security. So, if you like the idea of coliving, but also want to have your privacy, these rooms give you that for sure.

Coliving activities you can expect in iSlow

Many colivings offer special activities to their colivers to connect with the community. Coliving is not only living with others but also making a valuable community and sharing interests.

iSlow only opened a few weeks ago, so they’re still planning their activities and testing the options. We were lucky to be part of some and hear their ideas for the upcoming ones.

So, here’s what you can expect from iSlow in the upcoming period.

Language exchange

Based on the experience Ines and Julio had while living in London, they find that language exchange sessions can have a valuable impact on community bonding as well as long-term personal growth value.

As a family-friendly coliving, they want to provide these sessions for adults and kids. They know how beneficial it can be for young children to learn foreign languages, and they want to embrace that.

Language exchange is not only good for learning languages but is also a great way to introduce one’s culture and personality.

For more information about the idea, check this article where we covered it in detail.

Yoga classes

Yoga classes are a very popular coliving activity, so it’s good that Julio’s sister Sandra is a yoga teacher. Even though they have not yet decided how they’ll organize these classes and whether they will be free for the colivers or not, we had a trial session – and it was so good!

These classes also might be open for the local women to join. This is another way of supporting the local community and connecting colivers with it.

In the future, the backyard space could become a yoga spot during summer, but until then, the coworking office is amazing for small group yoga sessions. Its natural energy flows through the room so it has that meditative effect.

Camiño dos faros

There is a popular lighthouse hiking route in the area with eight stages that go through multiple villages. One of the stages is in Laxe and is a great activity to hike the stage. Nature is beautiful, and the hike is easy and accessible.

Being one of the things that visitors should do while in Laxe, this hike will definitely be one of the activities that iSlow will organize during warm days.

iSlow wrote about the Camino dos Faros as well as the stage in Laxe on their website. Be sure to check the blogs out!

Traditional Galician parties

Behind the house, there’s a barbecue place that Ines and Julio are still working on but once that is complete, a plan is to organize traditional Galician parties there.

These parties will gather colivers and the local people and be something like jamming sessions. Whoever wants to join and play something, sing, or dance, can. And those who want to chill out and enjoy the music can also do that.

We experienced something like this when Anceu coliving with 15 of its folks came to visit iSlow. It was truly a fun community experience.

The philosophy behind iSlow

iSlow grows its coliving on three main pillars – family, slow living, and the local community.

Family-friendly coliving

As a family themselves, Julio, Ines, and their 5-year-old twins want to make a safe and supportive place for traveling families.

Not many colivings and places for digital nomads are for families, and many are generally not kid-friendly. iSlow wants to change that and provide a comfortable place for parents with kids to come and enjoy the perks of nomadism and remote work. The house has many corners for kids but also spaces like coworking where adults can be alone and in peace.

Slow living

When it comes to slow living, iSlow wants to encourage colivers to embrace slow life and enjoy the moment. The house itself has that tranquil energy and provides a relaxing environment to do it all at your own pace. Less rushing, less stress, and more living here and right now.

Local community support

The third pillar is the support they want to provide to the locals of Laxe and the area. Laxe gets quite popular in the summers, but during the colder days, locals don’t have many options for leisure and fun. iSlow wants to provide this through events and connections with colivers. The locals have so much to offer to travelers but also have so much to receive from them.

iSlow is only at the beginning of its journey but they have so many things planned and we’re super excited to see where it will take them. We spent two weeks with them and met so many nice adults and kids and we’ll definitely come back!

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

iSlow: A time-stopping coliving for digital nomads and their families

• ByMarko
• April 6, 2022

• • The Coliving Spain Project

Coliving Spain 2022: #1 Awid Aman – Sustainable coliving in La Gomera

• ByGala
• April 1, 2022

The post Coliving Spain 2022: #2 iSlow – Family-friendly coliving on the beautiful Costa da Morte appeared first on My Coliving Space: Spain.

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

However, we wanted this list to be a little different. That’s why we did some digging in order to find some of the most unique activities that coliving places in Spain have to offer.

If you are still new to the coliving concept, we got you covered! Check out our main article on this topic and find out why Spain should be the first place for your coliving experience.

These are just some of the first unusual coliving activities we are including in this list. Don’t forget to come back once in a while and check for new entries!

We will try to update this list whenever we find something new and unusual since the coliving trend is booming all over Spain and new places are opening daily.

If you are not new and have some unique coliving activities in Spain on your mind that you think we should cover, feel free to send us an email. We would love to hear about them.

Until then – let’s dive in!

1) Rock Climbing (Roca Aguilera) – Coasis Coliving

We start our list with something that may sound a bit extreme for many people and something that will take you out of your comfort zone, and that is rock climbing. To be more specific climbing Roca Aguilera!

It is one of the numerous activities you can experience while staying at Coasis Coliving. Located in the port city of Tarragona, less than 100km from Barcelona, Coasis is one of many coliving places you can find in this area. On their website, you can find a dozen activities that you can expect to participate in if you choose to stay at their place.

We chose this activity among all the others because it is something that not many people can brag about they’ve done, and that’s why we think it is perfect for our list.

Roca Aguilera is a rocky mass where you will find many routes of varying difficulties.

But even though it sounds very demanding at first glance, this rock is actually not too difficult for beginners and is the perfect place to experience your first rock climbing adventure!

2) Wine workshops – Cactus Coliving

For the next place from this list, we need to travel almost 2500km south and almost leave our continent since it is located in one of the most popular areas for coliving in Spain, the Canary Islands.

The second on our list is Cactus Coliving and its very own wine cellar where wine-tasting workshops take place once a month.

The main idea behind this is mixing colivers with the locals to enrich their knowledge of local wines, culture, and customs.

The workshops take place in a historical underground water tank that was originally used to water vineyards and avocado trees hundreds of years ago.

Many years later, it got transformed into a winery where the Cactus Coliving owner María’s family kept their wine bottles. It is the ideal space for preserving wine, having a temperature between 13-17 degrees throughout the year.

Cactus Coliving has an ongoing collaboration with a local enologist so that colivers learn the different grape varieties in the Canary Islands vs. Mainland Spain.

During these workshops, you’ll have the opportunity to learn all about the production process, conservation, the evolution of Canary Island wines, and other interesting details on Canarian wines.

We promise that after this experience you will be able to consider yourself a true sommelier… or you can just use this opportunity to taste all the different types of local vines available on the islands 🙂

3) Vinyl listening session – Maraya Coliving

Don’t worry, this time we don’t have to travel a lot, actually we don’t even have to move from Tenerife.

Maraya Coliving is one of the newcomers when it comes to the coliving movement in Spain. Even though they have just recently opened their place for the public, they already have to offer many unusual activities that can be included on our list.

For that specific reason, we reached out to one of the owners, Ben, to help us with our selection and to choose one activity that he considers the most unique for their coliving place.

“I would say one of the most unique activities we offer at Maraya is a vinyl listening session. We usually do this once a week and encourage everyone to disconnect from their digital lives and embrace the analog world. It’s no phones and no distractions.”

“We pick an album, by physically flipping through our collection and all lay back and enjoy it. From start to finish, the musical journey as the artist intended.”

“After we discuss the experience and we have found that people are blown away by the meditative state they felt and parts of the song they’d never experienced before. Or new tracks they didn’t even know about.”

“It is also a great way to connect with each other, and an experience I really believe our guests remember long after they have left.”

4) Solfami Association – Weekly events organized by locals – Anceu Coliving

Our next activity is truly a unique and authentic experience, which many colivers who had the opportunity to stay at Anceu Coliving can confirm.

Anceu is a rural coliving place located in the small municipality of Ponte Caldelas in the province of Pontevedra, in Galicia, Spain. They offer many original local activities that represent the true living in Galicia, but one we think best suits this list is Solfami Association.

Solfami Association is an association created by locals of Anceu, Pontecaledalas, and other nearby villages that organizes weekly events with local artists. Sometimes, this is a live music concert, sometimes a theater show, or a humoristic play, and sometimes it will be a special cooking night or an interactive artistic event. 

Colivers and visitors of Anceu Coliving can enjoy these magical nights and use the opportunity to connect with the locals and feel like a part of their community. These events will share the knowledge on local food, music, language, folklore, and culture in general. This experience can help colivers to connect even more with the rural vibes of Anceu coliving and help them truly feel the rural life during their stay. 

If you are foody, we especially recommend attending these events! The organizers invite chefs and put a lot of thought into creating delicious local dishes, so it would all fall into a perfect experience. 

No event is the same, and colivers love coming back every week. 

This is just one of many things you can experience while staying at Anceu Coliving. If you would like to find out more about what it looks like to co-live in this rural place and discover the story behind it, feel free to read the interview we did with their owner Agustin.

5) A language exchange with a local impact – iSlow Coliving

This impactful activity differs from the others because it is not only meant for you but also for your kids.

iSlow Coliving is a new awesome family-friendly coliving in Galicia that wants to make an impactful change in its rural community, but also provide a safe nest for traveling parents and their kids.

The adult language exchange activities will help coliving parents connect with local parents, learn from one another, and share their language knowledge, and for the kids, it will provide a totally new community experience.

The idea is to connect the little colivers with the local children and participate in the guided language and culture exchange through games, songs, walks, and being in nature.

Growing up in a rural area can be very beneficial for children, but it can also put some limits on their access to the outside world. iSlow wants to bring the outside world to these kids’ doorstep. In return, the visiting children will be able to explore the amazing growing-up experience in rural Galicia and learn Spanish and Galician.

Spanish is the second most spoken language in the world, so learning it can be as beneficial as learning English.

This activity will be flexibly organized to fit the group, the weather, and the occasion. For instance, in the summers, activity coordinators can take the children to the beach and have a fun and ocean-inspired language exchange. During rainy days, the kitchen area can become a classroom, and cooking and kitchen utensils are an inspiration.

iSlow chose this activity because of its multiple impact opportunities.

• First, there is a huge space for making an impact in the local community. Providing the local children opportunities to meet and learn from foreigners at such a young age will help them develop new skills and gain confidence. The same goes for their parents who are eager to learn the language and explore other cultures.
• Secondly, it will be beneficial for the visiting children to explore a new way of growing up, being a part of a small community with children of different ages, learning their language, and learning their games.
• Third, parents will have the opportunity to take some time for themselves while the kids enjoy the guided activity.

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.

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

Why Spain should be your first coliving experience?

• ByMarko
• November 18, 2021

• • Coliving Movement

Why are the Canary Islands one of the most popular places for coliving?

• ByMarko
• February 8, 2023

The post List of most unique activities that coliving places in Spain offer appeared first on My Coliving Space: Spain.

This family-friendly Galician coliving welcomes all who want to try a slow way of coliving, coworking, and connecting. And all that while surrounded by the raw nature of the Galician coastal front and enjoying the sustainable countryside life.

iSlow is opening the doors of its modern and fully equipped redesign of a traditional country house this spring (2022), and we took a moment to sit down with one of the founders, Ines, and hear more about their idea and vision.

How it all started

“Smile, breathe, and go slowly.”

-Thich Nhat Hanh

1. When did you decide to open a coliving space of your own, and what was the driving force behind your decision?

– We had been rebuilding the house where ISlow is based for a while with the intention of opening it as a retreat center for some time before learning about coliving and considering it as an option.

I (Ines) have always been into nutrition and wellbeing and even trained in naturopathic nutrition as a second career, and although I spent ten years living in London and other cities in the UK, I always valued the power of what a slow and rural lifestyle has to our health.

It was at the start of the pandemic when we learned about the coliving movement and realised it would be a great opportunity for us, as it would combine both our passions for a healthy and slow lifestyle along with my career in technology and IT.

Being based in a remote setting like Laxe, A Costa da Morte, our driving force is around rural development.

We would like to offer our visitors an experience of integration with the local community as well as allowing the local community to link with colivers from around the world.

Living a slow life while being connected with international and multicultural communities.

2. Have you ever had the opportunity to stay in some other coliving space or any type of shared accommodation before you decided to open your own place?

– We experienced shared accommodation during our years as students and working years both in Spain and abroad in the UK.

We also visited Anceu when they first opened and connected with other rural co-livings in Spain but we haven’t had the chance yet to stay in one long.

This is mainly because we are a family of 4 and not many colivings are designed for families. This is one of the reasons why we would like to focus on families as well as other types of colivers like remote workers, slow travellers, or digital nomads.

3. You are about to open your place to the public very soon what is the thing you are struggling with the most in this final phase?

– The pandemic has made an impact on the construction sector in our region so it has been very difficult to stick to a timeline and finish the building works at the pace we would have liked.

On the other hand, we have been lucky to have support from our family and close friends which has allowed us to manage the project closely and make every decision.

We invested a lot of effort in adapting the house so it fits the needs of a group of people living together that share common spaces while keeping their own privacy.

Shared spaces are designed so adults and kids are able to keep entertained in the same space with autonomy. All rooms are ensuite and some of them can be used as shared dorms or private family rooms.

In terms of activities, we are planning to offer a range of activities that will be of interest to all ages.

4. Is there something that you wished you knew before starting this project?

– When it comes to construction, things always take 2 or 3 times longer than planned.

As a product manager who has worked in IT projects for years, I tried my best to define what a minimum viable product would be for our project to try and launch as quickly as possible.

It is difficult to prototype when there are works involved and there is no easy way to inspect and adapt. Once something is built in a way there is no easy way to go back and rushing only makes things worse. So taking it slow and thoughtful was the best approach.

5. Did some other coliving places in Spain influence your approach, on how to set up your own?

– The idea of running our own coliving got us excited from the first moment as we see it as the perfect setting for building meaningful connections in a multicultural environment which is something we really miss from our time in London.

Although we were concerned that being a family would make it difficult for us to balance out our time with our community of colivers.

But we were happy to have learned that some coliving spaces were inquired by families but were not designed for that type of users so that helped reinforce.

It will be great to host other families and offer the best experience for them as well as for us.

While designing the space we have instinctually kept families at the center because it is easy for us to relate to their needs.

Play areas, outdoor spaces, activities for kids to enjoy with other kids while parents are working or would like to enjoy some time alone.

6. What is the story behind you choosing Spain as the location for opening your coliving space?

– Choosing the location was a no-brainer for us. We did not pick a location the location picked us.

The house where ISlow is based is the family house where I (Ines) was raised. It belonged to our family, from our great grandfather was passed on to my parents and then on to us.

Since the begging we were very clear on all the positives both the area, the local community has to offer to anyone interested in experiencing what is like living like a local at ISlow.

The food, nature, slow lifestyle, traditions, all play a big role at ISlow.

7. What are the advantages and disadvantages (for you as owners) of building a coliving at a remote rural place?

– The cons are always around services, the internet, public transport but those are also the facts that make the experience different from the one you get in a city.

The slow pace of living, having time and opportunities to interact with the local community, no crowds of people, being surrounded by nature, fresh air, sea, and nice food, freedom for kids to explore around, and a pollution-free environment.

iSlow Community

“Having kids is a reason to travel, never a reason to stop.“

-Unknown

8. What profile of people do you want to attract with your coliving place?

– Anyone who has an interest in experiencing A Costa da Morte and its lifestyle is welcome.

In general, we would like to encourage long stays as we believe is best to get to know the area and have the chance to create connections. Unless you are on a sabbatical, remote workers will have it easier to stay longer than just spending a holiday.

We would love to connect with freelancers and entrepreneurs as we are going through our entrepreneurial journey and understand their struggles and offer support in form of workshops, networking and training programs.

As a family, we would love to host other families.

9. Will your place be dedicated exclusively to families and people with kids?

– Not just, but we have put a lot of thought into designing the space so it is adapted so both kids and adults can share common areas.

10. How long do you expect your future colivers to stay at your place?

– During the month of April we will be running a trial period where we would host as many people as possible and after that, the minimum stay is going to be 1 week with discounts being applied based on the length of the stay.

11. What additional activities will be included for people who decide to stay at your coliving?

– We believe the activities need to be driven by the community of colivers staying at a given time but from our side some of the things we would like to run are:

• Hiking the Lighthouse Way
• Organise workshops around slow food, traditional cooking, and other wellbeing activities such as yoga, pilates.
• Foliadas – Which are a form of traditional festivals in this region.
• Explore the area via geocaching.

We are collaborating with a number of people that will be able to run professional workshops and training sessions on different topics around entrepreneurship.

12. Which unique activity do you think iSlow will offer compared to other coliving places in Spain?

– In general, we are going to organise events that bring opportunities for interaction between colivers and locals.

We believe this is particularly of interest to families.

13. Are you going to have some special offers for family bookings?

– Activities for kids during the week so parents can relax or do some work while their families are having fun.

Special prices for staying during the school year and long stays.

About the Coliving Movement

”Luxury travel may be glamorous, but not always meaningful. Local culture may not always be glamorous, but it’s always meaningful.”

-Nyssa P. Chopra

14. Do you think that coliving is only dedicated to a specific group of people such as freelancers, remote workers, and digital nomads, or do you think there is a possibility to gain popularity beyond that group of people?

– For us living in a coliving for some time is the best option for those looking to connect with the region and the locals and experience what is like to live in the area as locals do, as opposed to spending a few days of their holidays just sightseeing.

The longer you stay the better the experience so in that sense the type of work you do might influence the freedom to live in a coliving long term.

Those who have the freedom to work remotely like freelancers and digital nomads of course might find it easier as their work allows for mobility.

But the essence of coliving is the experience around creating those meaningful connections you can get from sharing a living space with like-minded people so colivings can so be a great option for slow travellers, people on sabbaticals or anyone who is looking to relocate in the area and would like to join a community that will offer support and a warm welcome when first landing.

15. Do you think that coliving cannot exist without coworking?

– The terms of coliving, coworking, cohousing are very much linked together, and sometimes it is difficult to define them.

We understand coliving as the interactions of like-minded people who share a living space so theoretically the coworking could be optional but often what makes people connect are things like having common interests, the need to collaborate in projects, and seeking support from a community, especially for families.

All those connections take time so having a shared space to connect professionally allows for more opportunities to connect.

16. What do you think is going to be the best value ISlow will offer for people who decide to stay there?

– Interaction and integration with the local community, contributing to rural development and raising awareness around the value of living a slower, more present, and generally healthier lifestyle for us as individuals and families.

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! You will find more than 3500 native speakers are waiting to help you with your Spanish.

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 movement

• • Coliving Movement

Why Spain should be your first coliving experience?

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• • Interviews with Coliving Operators

Awid Aman – Conscious living community

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The post iSlow: A time-stopping coliving for digital nomads and their families appeared first on My Coliving Space: Spain.

And truly, the best way to forget about a stressful workday is the proper nurturing of your mind and soul. Sports, leisure, and arts and crafts can really take your mind off the work and help you focus on yourself. Nothing can make your time seem fulfilled like a quality leisure activity.

When it comes to this, Spain has a lot to offer, from surfing to hiking or discovering traditional Spanish dishes, there is something for everybody.

Coliving places have recognized these activities as a crucial part of a healthy work-life balance and staying at a place will help you incorporate it into your daily routine. Also, coliving owners are very often creative and intuitive individuals that are either ready to share their knowledge or are incorporating it into their coliving culture.

Doesn’t that sound awesome? Read below and find out what are the most popular coliving activities in Spain. We’re sure you will find something that calls out to your inner self.

Spain surfing beaches

Being surrounded by the sea and the ocean, Spain has some amazing beaches and nooks perfect for surfing. Some coliving places are built one those exact spots, allowing you to try this bucket-list-worthy activity while staying there.

For example, Maraya Coliving, set in Tenerife North, where some of the best surf beaches in Spain are located, is not only close to the ocean so you can reach the surfing spot on foot, but is also owned by 5 friends of whom 2 are surfers that are happy to share their tips with you. Isn’t that cool?

Some colivings that are located close to surf towns in Spain offer discounts and group sessions for learning to surf which definitely makes accommodation a high-level experience.

Surfing in Spain is one of the most popular activities for tourists and the best time to surf in Spain in September and April. Spain is also awesome because it has a huge coastline so there are many different spots with very different waves making it suitable for pros as well as for beginners.

Surfing is also very healthy, as it benefits the body and the mind. It improves sleep which is super important for your work productivity as well as for mental health. Speaking of mental health, surfing is a very relaxing activity that requires focus, so it can significantly reduce stress and balance out emotional stability.

If you have a stressful job, surfing can be a great decision for you.

Some of the best yoga retreats in Spain

Much like surfing, yoga is an activity that connects your mind and body and helps you channel your emotions. Following that philosophy, many colivings offer daily yoga sessions that are often completely free.

There is also a growing popularity of various yoga teachers opening yoga retreats in Spain. It’s because Spain has very peaceful surroundings. Whether it’s a beautiful mountain, an open oceanside, a never-ending olive tree, or orange tree fields, the scenery truly evokes peace and balance.

Meditation is a crucial part of yoga, and most coliving places offer a combination of easy, beginner-friendly yoga with meditative elements. The idea is to connect with oneself and disconnect from work.

Many coliving owners are already familiar with yoga and meditation and are inspired to share that with the colivers. The ones that are not familiar themselves have other people teach you and lead the sessions. Many yogis come to colivings that are open to sharing their knowledge with others as long as the others share some of their lives with them.

Best hiking trails in Spain

Spain is a big country with more than 500,000 square kilometers and a lot of different regions.

Officially, these regions can be divided into 4 big categories:

• the islands,
• the lowland regions,
• the peninsular region, and
• the inner plateau with the mountains.

Being this big and with all these different geographic elements, Spain is rich in diverse land and nature that each provides a different experience. This characteristic makes the country a hiker’s paradise.

Some living places use this natural advantage to organize hiking tours around their place. For example, Galicia has some of the best hiking trails in Spain and many colivings in the area know how to use this.

The same as for surfers, Spain’s colorful terrain allows hikers of different readiness and skill to find matching routes and challenges. Whether you’re looking for long long hiking trails or short stroll-like routes, Spain has it all.

For example, iSlow has all the tea about amazing routes nearby and is ready to spill it. They are also organizing hiking tours to go together with other colivers and bond over this freeing activity.

Trying local Spanish food

One of the best ways of discovering a new culture is through a country’s national and local food. You can learn so much about people, the custom, and the traditions from the way they prepare the food, eat it, and the way they feel about it.

People are also always passionate about the food they grew up with, so a few dishes can inspire a heartfelt conversation about one’s culture. Food is also something that is closely related to family life, and it always follows other traditions.

The food follows celebrations, national holidays, and traditional gatherings, but also your everyday lives that speak so much about a culture. So, a conversation inspired by food will probably incorporate many other traditions and will let you learn how local people speak and think about different aspects of life.

When it comes to Spain, dining is one of the most important parts of the culture. Spanish people nurture the tradition of getting together with friends and family over food and sharing their lives.

Dinner parties and events with authentic Spanish food are also frequent activities that colivings in Spain organize. These events bring people closer but also teach a lot about the local culture. They are also amazing because they directly support small businesses by buying fresh produce locally and including locals in the process.

Sunday BBQs with other colivers

Sunday BBQs, dinner parties on Fridays, or any other party-like event is a must in colivings. The one thing that makes colivings different from other accommodations is that people come here to co-live. They come to meet other people, share their lives with them and learn more about their colivers.

Even though people already come with a mindset to meet others and would probably do it spontaneously on their own, pre-organized events like these make the whole place relaxed and vibing on the same level.

These parties are a great opportunity for colivers to find someone with that they could share their ideas or someone to support their projects. Sometimes partnerships come out of coliving places, but even if not that, definitely friendships.

Cooking with others is also a great bonding activity. We talked above how food is an important part of one’s culture, well – cooking dinner or BBQing together is a great way to get to know your colivers’ traditions and learn about their culture.

Remember, people, come here from all kinds of backgrounds and from all over the world, spicing the meat, or even preparing a salad might be totally different from what you’re used to. Imagine going home with a few amazing recipes originating from across the world.

Traditional local events / Spanish ferias

When it comes to local events Spanish people are experts in the area. Spaniards love social gatherings, music events, festivals, etc.

In case you had the chance to stay in Spain longer than a week you probably had an opportunity to experience one of those. My first week in Spain, there was a music festival in our local park. It’s just something that they enjoy doing very much.

Keeping that in mind, staying at a Spanish coliving is a perfect way to experience local Spanish culture. Many small places around Spain organize local events, which are specific just for their regions.

Some of these are local food events, while others are musical events with traditional music like a Flamenco show, or an art show of local artists or comical plays.

Some colivings don’t necessarily organize these types of events but can give you insights on what to visit why you’re staying at their place. We would definitely recommend checking out ferias because they really showcase the Spanish culture.

Art/Creative workshops

Coliving communities are often full of creative individuals like musicians, artists, creators, dancers, etc. This environment inspires a great place for artistic expression and creative workshops.

These workshops might be interactive art shows, but they also might be art sessions like painting, drawing, dancing, etc. Art is very liberating and an important factor in one’s personal expression.

Getting to know yourself within art is the best gift you can give yourself, especially in this fast-paced mostly digital world.

This is why some colivings offer different types of art sessions or opportunities to share your creativity with others or learn a new creative expression yourself.

Some colivings such as Kalart attract more artistic people and fewer digital nomads or remote workers. This, of course, does not mean that digital nomads are not welcome, it only means that is a place to look for if you’re looking for an art escape.

Some people might find surfing liberating, others might find music this way. That’s why it is important to seek what suits you and to acknowledge these activities as an important factor when choosing a coliving.

Skill-sharing nights

Skill-sharing nights and events are something that you will find in almost every coliving house in Spain. You might even say that these events are pillars of the colivings movement.

In today’s world of digital work, so many people have different skills that are actually closely related and could benefit from one another.

For example, someone could be a great writer and a blogger but could struggle with the photos for their blog. A photographer could help the blogger learn a few tricks on how to use the camera the right way, or how to capture someone’s attention with a photo, while the blogger could teach the photographer how to write catchy captions or write stories to go along with their photographs.

Even if it is not useful right away, it is always amazing to learn something new. Today’s work philosophy is to never stop learning and expanding your knowledge. It’s fun to dive deeper into some unknown topic but can also be useful on many levels.

Skill-sharing not only helps people learn new skills but also “promotes” or showcases certain professions and jobs. We are often unaware of how much work some people put into a product that we see finished, and skill-sharing can help us see that. For example, I never knew how skillful someone has to be to make a quality Tiktok video until I tried it myself.

When people show you their skills and the process put into work, you start to respect more both the profession and the product.

Skill-sharing is a perfect way to strengthen the community, learn something new, and maybe even come up with some new ideas for your future projects, and that is why colivings love to organize it.

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Secure yourself the best coliving experienc

• 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.

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

List of most unique activities that coliving places in Spain offer

• ByMarko
• April 13, 2022

• • Coliving Movement

Why Spain should be your first coliving experience?

• ByMarko
• November 18, 2021

The post 8 Most Popular Coliving Activities in Spain appeared first on My Coliving Space: Spain.