Digital Nomading in the Canary Islands
A few months in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
Charlie was lucky enough to get the chance to spend a few weeks in Gran Canaria to work and surf and enjoy life. She had been traveling as a digital nomad before, for example when she spent nearly three months in a surfhostel in Andalucia. This time though, she wanted to plan this better and book a type of accommodation that is more suitable for laptop workers than a hostel. Plus, she wanted to be in a place where it was warm in January and February: The Canary Islands! She easily found multiple colivings, flat shares for digital nomads, in the islands and decided to start with the one in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.
Repeople: Coliving in Las Palmas
The organisation behind the coliving Charlie had chosen is Repeople. They have multiple colivings and a coworking space in Gran Canaria. When Charlie was there it was four colivings in Las Palmas (The Roof, The Artisan House, Mozart House, The Mansion), one in the south in Maspalomas, and a coworking space in Las Palmas. At the time, they were about to open another coliving in Las Palmas, one in Agaete, and had future plans for a family-friendly coliving too. Charlie had vetted all those places in the brochure before booking and decided to book her room at The Roof.
The Roof Coliving
All four houses by Repeople in Las Palmas are in close proximity to one another in Ciudad Jardin near Playa de las Alcaravaneras and the marina. When strolling through the quarter, you can easily see that Ciudad Jardin was the part of town where money was not an issue. Every house is a giant villa, you see international schools and beauty clinics on every corner. As such, it is a beautiful area with stunning gardens and well-maintained green spaces. One of Charlie’s flatmates, Tom, liked to go for a workout every morning at Parque Romano which was just a 3-minute walk away. There is also a footpath along the marina which invites for a sunrise run.
Rooms named after the islands
The Roof is a spacious penthouse with 7 bedrooms, a well-equipped kitchen, a living room with a separate dining area, a coworking area, and a massive roof terrace that stretches around the whole flat. Charlie used to take her online sports classes on the roof terrace every day and was told by one of her flatmates that it looked like she was in a celebrity villa in Hollywood.
The 7 bedrooms in the flat are all slightly different in size, the most budget-friendly room has a single bed and shared bathroom with 2 other tenants. The most luxurious room has a double bed, a desk with a screen, and a private bathroom. Some of the rooms have direct access to the roof terrace, but even if not, there’s a balcony door not far away. All rooms are named after one of the Canary Islands. Charlie stayed in room La Gomera with a double bed, shared bathroom, and access to the terrace. For work, she used the big coworking table in the common area.
A well-equipped flatshare
Desks and screens aside, the most important thing at the start of a productive working day is coffee. The people behind Repeople know this and have the kitchen equipped with a coffee machine that grinds the beans freshly and serves coffee by the cup. There is an endless supply of coffee! Apart from the coffee machine, the kitchen is well equipped with a hob, an oven, a microwave, two big fridges and a dishwasher. Every coliver in the flat has a dedicated shelf in the fridges and cupboards to store their groceries.
Next to the kitchen is a small room with a washing machine and a tumble dryer. There’s also a washing line at the back of the flat to dry laundry the natural way. It usually dries very quickly, even overnight.
There is a big sofa in the living room, a large-screen TV and a guitar. Charlie occasionally moved the instrument to the outside area for a little session during BBQ nights. There is an additional sofa outside and a hammock, the latter is usually fought for by colivers as it’s very comfy.
The cleaners are coming once per week to clean the whole flat and to change sheets and towels.
The Coworking Space
Repeople has a separate coworking space in the commercial centre of town which can be used by anybody staying in the colivings for free. Charlie went there twice during her stay, but she preferred to work from the flat because it is more spacious and there is a lot of natural light from the terrace. The coworking space is on the lower floor of a high building in the city and as such, it is small and there isn’t much natural light. Charlie was a bit disappointed.
There are multiple other coworking spaces and laptop-friendly cafes everywhere in Las Palmas. You easily find them on Google Maps. Charlie hasn’t been to any of the other coworking spaces though and can’t make any recommendations.
The Repeople Community
The main reason why a digital nomad stays in a coliving is the social aspect of it. When you share accommodation with other nomads, you automatically become part of a community. Charlie liked that she was added to the WhatsApp groups a few days before she arrived in Las Palmas. There is one big group in Repeople and a group for each house. Through those groups, Charlie felt immediately included and they organized a trip to an Escape Room for the day Charlie arrived. It was interesting to play such a game with people she had met only 30 minutes before.
They also organized Volleyball matches through the group and food socials. That’s how Charlie got the best Tapas in town, had a star meal in a fish restaurant by the marina, and joined a Sunday brunch at a luxurious hotel.
Charlie returned to Las Palmas a year after her first stay and to her surprise, there were lots of people that had done the same. She met many familiar faces again. Her second time was even more of a social experience because all COVID restrictions had finally been lifted and it was easier to meet in bigger groups and the Carnival took place again. Not only did they go out to see concerts multiple evenings per week, but they also organized regular barbecues on the terrace at The Roof and had a big Carnival celebration.
Other Repeople Colivings and Coworking Spaces
Since 2022, Repeople also has a coliving near Agaete. It used to be a hotel and is only a few minutes away from the beach in Puerto de la Nieves. El Cabo, as they call it, also has a spacious roof terrace with views towards the mountains and the sea and a coworking area in the basement.
Around 5 minutes from the coliving is a coworking space and you only have to cross the street to get to the waterfront. From there, it is about 10 minutes on foot to the natural swimming pool in Agaete. Could you imagine a better lunch break?
Charlie and some of her housemates went to Agaete to work from there for one day. She was so curious to see this space and she was not disappointed. The coworking space is the perfect work environment and they enjoyed a beautiful sunset from the terrace of El Cabo coliving.
Digital Nomad Community in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
Las Palmas is a melting pot of digital nomads. The four houses of Repeople already make a community of 20 to 30 people, but there are many more. Already before the COVID-19 pandemic, Las Palmas hosted regular events and conferences for digital nomads. Now, it attracts even more laptop workers.
Live it Up, Las Palmas!
The best place to meet the community is the Slack group Live it Up, Las Palmas! It is the virtual place where everybody meets and makes plans: There is always somebody wanting to go for food, seeking accommodation or flatmates, organizing sports such as volleyball or Yoga, or weekend hikes – there are lots of outdoor adventures to be had in Gran Canaria. There is also a meet-up every Tuesday in Bar San Remo. It is a lovely community where you can get plenty of tips and advice if you’re new to the island and there is always something going on. Honestly, the first thing you should do when you come to the island is request to join this Slack group! But, be prepared for a lot of FOMO as you won’t have time to join everything!
Bachata and Salsa Lessons
Charlie joined one activity that she discovered on the Slack group: Bachata lessons. Every Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, Ylenia and Dani provide classes for different levels for €5 near the marina in Las Palmas. No matter if you’re a beginner or an experienced dancer, there’s a class for everyone. Charlie was very happy about the class she took and highly recommended it. When Charlie was in Las Palmas for the second time the year later she joined a progression course for beginners for four weeks. Not only did she see great progress in Salsa and Bachata, but she also made friends within the group. If you want to join, check the sports channel in the Slack group and then join the respective WhatsApp group.
Surfing
Last, but not least: One of the reasons why Charlie chose the Canary Islands for her winter stay abroad is the surf. Las Palmas offers the best of both worlds: vibrant city life, a good work environment, and a surf break at your doorstep. Well, if you’re staying in a house by Repeople, it’s not exactly at your doorstep because Las Canteras is on the opposite side of town. From The Roof, it was about 30 minutes by foot or 5 minutes by taxi. There are other surf spots in Gran Canaria too, but all a bit outside of town.
Las Canteras has suitable conditions for different levels of surfing. The beginners and surf schools usually go to the beach to catch some white water, and more experienced surfers go to the point break by the jetty at La Cicer. There are plenty of surf schools and surf hires at Las Canteras. If you’re still learning and prefer classes, you can get good offers for long-term stays. Charlie had lessons with Dream Sea Surfschool. For €100 she had 3 lessons per week for a whole month. All equipment was included, and the classes were really good. Giuseppe is a great surf instructor and Charlie learned a lot during the month in Las Palmas. She stayed a week in a surfcamp in Tenerife afterwards and could really see how much her surfing had improved in Gran Canaria.
