Defining what is coliving should have been our first post... but it wasn't, perhaps we assumed that there was no need to write about this topic... big mistake...
In recent months, I have realized that I don't quite understand the essence of coliving, and I wonder...
The last decades have been full of dizzying changes, these changes generate new needs and opportunities and as a consequence, new options, solutions, and business opportunities arise.
Some of those new challenges…
Climate change, destruction of ecosystems
A rapid increase in population in the cities of the planet
Unaffordability and housing crisis
Loneliness of millions of people
Remote work revolution
What is Coliving?
In response to these problems and others, a type of accommodation arises based on
community
collaboration
consciousness
In a coliving for Digital Nomads and Remote Workers, your first goal is to be productive, colivings are primarily collaborative workspaces.
At the same time, a community philosophy predominates, sharing with like-minded people
resources
space
experiences
This is probably the true essence of Coliving accommodation...
Therefore, living in a Coliving is a life experience
where you give and receive
where you teach and learn
where life revolves around sharing...
Community
What differentiates coliving from other types of accommodation is the need for its members to share time, experiences, and learning with other members of the community.
Social contact and community building are promoted
How do you activate social connections?
Primarily with common spaces with social intentions
Carrying out activities with porpuse, to connect members
Creation of communities with specific purposes where common values or interests are shared
Other common characteristics
The accommodations are fully equipped. The rooms are furnished and have everything you need for your stay.
Amenities such as weekly cleaning, towels, and cleaning products included, this means fewer household tasks for members
A single payment, one fee covers all bills… there are usually no hidden costs
Each member usually has their own room
Flexibility - stays can be short, medium, or long stays, depending on the needs of the members
Advantages of Coliving
There are many, but we will highlight some of them below.
Network- you can increase your network of work contacts by sharing the space with other members with similar or complementary profiles
Personal and professional development
Sustainable living due to sharing resources and spaces
Friendships- It will be easy for you to make new friends, community activities in addition to sharing common spaces help create social connections.
Better landing - arriving in a city or region where you have never been can be challenging, for economic or cultural reasons, the community can help you better understand the identity of the place you have just arrived.
Local Coliving is the answer # Community Diary
Learning to make Gofio and Mojo
I asked myself many times, Is it positive what we are doing with our local Coliving Community? For some people could be positive, for others I´m sure not...
Many locals are asking themselves, How are we going to keep our identity with so many new people coming to the islands? There is not an easy answer to that question...
But maybe the first question we should ask ourselves as locals is, What does it mean to be from the Canaries?
The Canary Islands is in the middle of the "Planet" Our identity is a mix of many different cultures from Africa, Europe, and America, oppennes is probably at the heart of our identity since the islands were conquered by Europeans...
In EcoIsleta we work to help others to understand who we are and what makes our identity unique...
Canarian Food Workshop
We have done a few Canarian dinners and workshops about local food this winter, this is an easy way to understand our identity, through Gofio, Almogrote, or Papas Arrugadas.
I love the conversations that come up after dinner, many about local impact. As I said before many Remote workers are asking themselves the same questions and looking for answers everywhere.
Sustainability is another topic we usually talk about in these dinners, and I simply love it, because that´s another goal of our dinners, to start talking about it...
To be honest, for me, It´s difficult to find an easy and not boring way to talk about sustainability, so far dinners are our answer to this problem...
Canarian food workshops and dinners
Highlight - The help of many colivers to prepare and cook the dinners, in the above picture Cornelia and Rita prepare a great dinner together, but also Alex or Ivar...
Vegan Dinner
As usual, we also organized some vegan dinners, we cooked Vegan Paella for 17 people in the house...
Vegan dinner
Our Book
In February we celebrated in our Neighborhood the Day of La Isleta on 26 of February and we had the opportunity to present our book for this festivity.
La Isleta has one of the strongest local communities in the Canary Islands, with a unique identity giving personality to the city...
Our history is related to the La Luz Port, and historically we have been a worker's neighborhood.
More trees, less concrete...
Also for The Day of La Isleta, we helped to plant trees in the Neighborhood and it was great fun to collaborate and help in this important activity.
Our neighborhood's lack of parks and green areas is something we have been claiming for too many years...
There was a vermicomposting workshop and some people learned how to turn in compost their remaining food.
Foto de Andres. Diario La Provincia
Which are the best Colivings in Gran Canaria?
The goal of this post is to help you find the best colivings in Gran Canaria, with information about the location of each one. Coliving communities are more than rooms, It´s also about experiencing the local identity, the neighborhood, the landscapes...
Gran Canaria is a beautiful island with countless possibilities where remote workers have balance while working…
If you are looking for a community on an island full of diversity, nature, culture, and lots of fun, keep reading...
Why Coliving?
We believe in the benefits of coliving spaces. Collaboration, learning from each other, and sharing free time with other like-minded people, should be the main reasons to choose one or another.
Next to it, sharing common areas in the same house increases your positive impact and sustainability.
Community is another advantage of colivings, we all know the bad consequences of living alone.
Gran Canaria
For me, Gran Canaria has 3 different vibes, call it atmospheres, or ecosystems, each one different, full of diversity, and possibilities.
It doesn't matter your preferences, you will find your place.
1- North of the Island
2- South of the Island
3- Las Palmas city.
Communications are reliable, and having a sunny day on the beach while living on the top of the island in a rural and almost isolated house is easy, fast, and cheap.
1- North of the Island
The North of Gran Canaria is full of small and medium-sized villages and towns. Mostly rural and full of local people. Residents work in agriculture, farming, or on services in Las Palmas city.
The landscape is green and hilly. You will be surrounded by banana farms near the coast, and pine forest on the top.
Local communities keep the island's identity, traditions, culture, and heritage. If you are looking for a real local experience, this area could be your best choice.
There is a good offer of rural accommodation, beautiful, traditional houses where you can work and relax in the middle of the countryside…
Hiking
It´s one of the best options when living in this part of the island. Gran Canaria is full of paths and tracks to walk, and there is tons of information on the internet to choose a different route every day or weekend.
Most of the people take the bus to the top of the island and hike down to different villages or natural areas.
Surf and natural pools
The North is full of surf spots, some for beginners and others for experienced surfers…
The North is open to the Atlantic Ocean and most of the year the sea is rough, but I´ll recommend the natural pools, many of them are perfect for enjoying the sun and the sea safely.
What you need
You can move around the island by bus, the service is reliable, always on time, It is easy and cheap to go from your Coliving or house to any place on the island in less than a few hours…
But I know that for many of you, time is very important, in that case maybe you will rent a car.
Gran Canaria goes from 0 mt on the coast to 1955 mt on the top, in some places you need a good jacket in winter...
Repeople. El Cabo Coliving Agaete
Agaete and El Cabo Coliving
Agaete is one of the most beautiful places in the north of Gran Canaria, originally a fisherman's village.
In August they celebrate La Rama, turning a quiet village into a 24-hour party, full of local people from all over the island…
There are two beaches and one natural pool, I love this one. Hikes are simply unbelievable, if you are into nature, identity, and tradition, then Agaete is one of your best options.
El Cabo Coliving
Some of the best colivings in Gran Canaria are in the North. Repeople is the biggest Coliving operator in the Canary Islands, a few years ago they opened a space to live in a community while working in Agaete.
It is a modern building with 30 rooms. Near the Coliving they have a coworking space where you can work almost next to the sea.
The views from this Coliving are amazing, the rooftop is probably the ideal place to spend your evening talking and drinking something…
2- The South of the Island
The landscape in this part of the island is different from the North, is mostly dry, in some areas desertic, and very sunny most of the year.
In the South is where the mass tourism industry concentrates all the resorts, hotels, and apartments, with amazing beaches like Playa del Ingles, together with services and nightlife.
The economy of the island is mostly based on the millions of tourists spending a few weeks a year in these hotels and apartments.
There are no colivings so far in the South. But some coworkings are opening...
I´ll be honest, most remote workers are based in the North of the island. Probably because they travel for longer periods, and don´t want to feel like tourists.
Anyway, if you like tourist accommodations and vibes, some Digital Nomads go there to work and enjoy the sun in hotels and apartments...
3- Las Palmas City
It´s the biggest city in the Canary Islands, full of possibilities, with an amazing beach inside, together with nightlife, culture, heritage, communities of all kinds, communications, many different coworking spaces, shopping centers, etc, etc…
Most remote workers and Digital Nomads coming to the Canaries, choose Las Palmas…
Why? Young generations of remote workers look for local communities where they can feel and enjoy the local culture, and also due to…
Services of all kinds
Sports facilities all over the city
Las Canteras beach
Shopping centers and shops
Restaurants and nightlife
Carnival
As you can see there is something for anybody looking to experience a city, with great weather all year around.
A few weeks ago I was talking with a remote worker from Berlin who explained to me that one of the main reasons to come to Las Palmas was the dancing community, vibes, and options that she found here, Bachata, Salsa, etc…
For many remote workers, the best colivings in Gran Canaria are in Las Palmas, lets deep into some of them...
Coliving in Las Palmas
There are different coliving accommodations in the city. Most spaces are in a few neighborhoods, due to cultural reasons, services, or because there is a nearby beach.
Repeople in Ciudad Jardin
Repeople concentrate most of their colivings in this area, it´s a neighborhood very well located, with a nearby beach, Las Alcarabaneras, sports facilities, and other options to enjoy life after work.
With four spaces very near one another, this operator offers high-quality accommodation in some of the best houses in the city.
They also have two coworking spaces, but working in the house is also a pleasure, with gardens, great rooftops, barbecues, balconies, etc…
They offer all you need to work productively and have fun after…
Culture, heritage, tradition, great restaurants, excellent shops, small streets with beautiful traditional houses, everything is possible in the Vegueta y Triana area.
We love to walk in the old town, drinking or eating something in these old streets full of history is always an experience.
Coliving 1907 is located in the old town, in a beautiful protected house, with amazing rooms, and a great rooftop to work or to enjoy a good talk…
You have everything you need around this space, from shops to theatre, concerts, art, etc…
On the other side of the city is located La Luz Port and Las Canteras beach, this area is not as old as Vegueta and Triana, most of the buildings and houses were built after 1883 when we started the construction of the modern Port.
Famous for the quality and beauty of Las Canteras beach, most remote workers come in winter, when the local weather is like summer and the beach looks like August, not only to sunbathe but to play outdoor sports, or go for a swing after work.
Las Canteras in winter
In this area, there is a small Coliving, with a sustainable proposition to all remote workers conscious about their impact…
I can´t remember the name of the space in this area, something like La Isleta Coliving, or maybe EcoIsleta Coliving …
Conclusion
As you can see in this post, you will get different possibilities, vibes, and options depending if you stay in the South or the North, think about what you need, and then choose the right Coliving
Happy to help you
If you need more info about Gran Canaria, coliving accommodation, or where to eat tapas in Las Palmas, contact us...
Having fun while trying to be sustainable. #Community Diary
Our first analogic picture, pure history... By the way, who is the guy holding that sake bottle?
Having fun while trying to be a sustainable coliving is our great challenge...
Community vibes
This few weeks we have done some activities in the house, some are new for us like the Board game night…
An idea of Didier, one of our colivers, a French remote worker with lots of coliving experience in his backpack, always a pleasure to talk with him... he has this great idea and I think people had fun...
We have been a bit “provocative” with some activities under the title “Tech-free” like going to see the sunset without any kind of gadget…
We think we should start talking about the use of screens in our lives, and this is a small step... This idea comes from Camila, one of our colivers in December and January, she also had the idea of a tech-free area in the coliving...
As you can imagine I don´t have any pictures of that afternoon...
We organized a vegan dinner and we ended up with 27 people on the terrace, it was fun, but we couldn't sit down, we don't have that many chairs, so it was kind of informal and we did it all around the terrace… couldn´t take too many pictures, too busy eating...
Special thanks to one of our community members, Diana, she is from Kasajstan and we celebrated her birthday party on our terrace.
They make amazing food from their country and we had a great time talking and eating… By the way, she had like three cakes, is that legal? I couldn't eat more... everything was delicious...
EcoIsleta sustainable community
A few months ago I had a conversation with a coliver, he told me that when he arrived at the house, he thought something like
“But What is sustainable in this coliving”
“Why do they say they are sustainable”
He only saw the recycle bins and thought “That is in many places too”…
In the first instance, I thought “Everything I'm doing is wrong”, “People coming and they don't know what we are doing”, or “Am I communicating”, this conversation made it clear that, don´t very well…
A few weeks later, I thought that maybe it wasn´t that bad. Maybe many sustainable practices we put in place look or feel “normal”...
As some of you know, in EcoIsleta we are trying to fill the gap between the sustainability problems faced while traveling and the procrastination of many remote workers about sustainability…
We believe that traveling and working remotely can be sustainable, and can even be good for our communities.
How can we be more sustainable?
That is the question I´m repeating to myself most of the time, how can we reduce, how can we reuse…
In the last few months, we have made a few more investments to be more sustainable ourselves, we install solar panels, which will help us to produce 40% of our energy…
We would like to share with you our “trash” data… We have been measuring our trash for the last year...
Some people say that our garbage talk about us more than we can say... Few explanations about this data…
- No data for January 2023 because a group of remote workers rented the full house for themselves, we didn't have access to the house
- Based on government data PIRCAN, in Gran Canaria an average person produces 1,46 kg of garbage a day, our Coliving is around 0,300 gr a day per person including the amount of trash that we compost and turn into a resource for the island…
- Compostable trash is composted inside of our coliving with worms and also in a High School in a project we are working on with a local NGO, this is one of our biggest achievements, 199 kilograms of trash composted in our neighborhood.
- Nom compostable includes, oranges, lemon, garlic, and onion, as well as food that colivers don't eat…
- Water- In Canary Islands, an average person consumes 150 liters of water daily. In EcoIsleta Coliving we are around 120 l or less per person a day
- Electricity-TheSpanish Electricity Network says that an average house of two people in Spain consumes 270 KwH monthly, we are around 350 KwH for 5 colivers
- Plastic is our main challenge…
How remote workers get in shape in Las Palmas?
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria is the perfect place for maintaining well-being and keeping your balance between work and personal pursuits…To be productive remote workers need to get in shape while living in Las Palmas.
In this post, you´ll get websites and information about the countless possibilities of different sports and activities to do only around La Isleta area and Las Canteras Beach…
Having the opportunity to enjoy outdoor sports, and meet nice people, in the middle of our “sunny winter” is key to keeping productivity and creativity at a high level
Working long hours without time for ourselves brings bad consequences in the long run. Doing some outdoor activity, going to the gym, or practicing some yoga is a “must-do” routine for most remote workers…
Las Palmas City
With excellent weather, a few rainy days a year, not too hot, not too cold. In winter is difficult to stay at home, kind of the weather pushes you to go out…
TheBeach of Las Canteras is a perfect free “gym”, for swimming, sunbathing, snorkeling, volleyball, etc…
The offer for any kind of sports or activity is overwhelming, gyms all over the city, yoga studios, trainers offering activities in parks, etc…
If you want to do sports and keep yourself fit after working remotely in Las Palmas, you won't be disappointed…
Surf andOutdoor activities
You are probably coming to the Canary Islands to be outside as much as possible, to enjoy the sun and our open culture.
Many Remote Workers and Digital Nomads want to get in shape in Las Palmas with outdoor activities…
Surf is one of the most popular activities for many Digital Nomads in Las Palmas, riding a few waves in Las Cicer spot is an unforgettable experience, there are countless surf schools and La Cicer is the perfect spot to learn, near coworking spaces and colivings…
Las Canteras Beach is full of possibilities, you can even do a few of them in the same week, like Monday volleyball and Friday surf… Here you have some websites about sports in Las Canteras.
Swimming - Excellent option, in winter we recommend you a wetsuit, the water is a bit cold if you swim long distances. Las Canteras is perfect for swimming during low tide, the beach is protected by a natural barrier…
Hiking- Near Las Canteras beach in La Isleta volcanic area heading to El Confital the are some hiking walks in a natural protected area, Paisaje Natural de La Isleta, where hiking is surrounded by nature, without cars…
Running- La Isleta is perfect for running, there are different running areas in El Confital… but if you are looking for a running atmosphere, a kind of competition, your place could be Parque Romano with a circuit, climbing, calisthenic, outdoor fitness area, etc… Parque Romano is 7 minutes from our coliving by bike…
Las Canteras 31 December 2023
Yoga
Yoga has become extremely popular in the last 15 years or so, in La Isleta there are many yoga studios, offering different levels and timetables.
It is the perfect option after work, for example, near our Coliving you have Pure Yoga with astonishing views of the bay.
There are many gyms in La Isleta or very near, some of them are quite big with great services…
Dreamfit- Located in a shopping center, inside the Port, big, countless options, from padel to sauna, like 10 minutes walk from our coliving… www.dreamfit.es/centros/las-palmas
Personal Trainer- in La Isleta, with small groups and personal attention www.ertrainer.com
Castillo de La Luz Park, there is a free modular outdoor gym in this nearby park, it is free and well-equipped, 2 minutes from our Coliving...
Free outdoor gym in a nearby park
Padel
In La Isleta, there are two places to play Padel
La Luz Centro Deportivo- inside the port in Calle El Guinchete, they also have a gym…
Piscina León y Castillo- this is the public swimming pool in our neighborhood, 3 minutes from our coliving, they offer more activities like Pilates, Aquaying, Aquatrainig… www.piscinaleonycastillo.es
Basket
Not too far from La Isleta, there are some basketball courts, one is in La Cicer in Las Canteras Beach.
Some community members in our Coliving like to go there to play in the Guanarteme neighborhood in Calle Secretario Padilla 70.
Also in Playa de Las Alcaravaneras, 5 minutes by bike from our coliving, there are Basketball courts, next to the beach… This is another beach in the city...
Playa de Las Alcaravaneras is a busy sports place, if you are into sailing, canoeing, volleyball, etc, this could be your beach in the afternoon…
As you can see there are no excuses to forget your laptop for a few hours a day… There are countless possibilities for remote workers to get in shape in Las Palmas, free-of-charge sports...
Need more info
We would love to help you with any question about our neighborhood or the countless possibilities around our Coliving
