Being a digital nomad isn’t as easy as everybody thinks. Don’t get me wrong, I love to work remotely and travel. However, moving a few times per year means that each time you have to start all over again – book accommodation, meet new friends, find co-workings and places to do favourite activities. This is what we had to do when we arrived in Gran Canaria. If you are also planning to move to this beautiful island here are some tips for digital nomads in Las Palmas that will make your life way easier.
What will you find in this article?
1. Flats for digital nomads in Las Palmas
For a long time, I was convinced that Airbnb was the only platform that offered discounts for long-term rentals. Long-term means a minimum of 30 days. However, it turns out that agoda.com has it now too! I know that both of them have a high provision but it’s the easiest solution for the first month. For the next one, you can find another accommodation thanks to the connections you will build.
You can also try to find a room or people to rent a flat with by writing a post on the digital nomads FB group called Gran Canaria Digital Nomads.
Another option is to look at Idealista. It’s an online real estate platform. However, keep in mind that they mostly offer long-term rentals (min. one year) and most of them are managed by real estate agencies. This means it’s not always possible to talk in English with them. For that reason, finding a flat in Las Palmas through Idealista will take more time, but the rent will be also much cheaper.
2. Live it up Las Palmas
This is the Holy Graal for digital nomads in Las Palmas. It’s even more important than booking a flat. It’s a community group gathering English-speaking and mostly remotely working people in Las Palmas. It was created by Nelleke. She is managing the group and seems to live in Las Palmas (saw her a few times in Un Lugar :)).
You can request access here. To access it you will need to download an app called Mighty Networks. It seems that Nelleke is accepting everybody into the group. In case you don’t get your confirmation within a few days check your SPAM folder.
Why is this app so essential? Because all the possible activities for English-speaking people are posted there. Not only by Nelleke but also by every proactive person from the community. You can join a boat party, quiz night, free yoga class, volleyball group and many more. It’s the key to networking with other digital nomads in Las Palmas.
3. Co-working spaces in Las Palmas
There are many digital nomads in Las Palmas. Thanks to that you will find several co-working spaces in the city. A desk in a co-working in Las Palmas costs between 120 and 190 EUR per month. Renting a table at a co-working might be a good idea not only to separate private and professional life but also to connect with like-minded people. However, during COVID most co-working spaces in Las Palmas decided not to organize any events. Anyways, I visited 5 co-workings in Las Palmas and here are my impressions:
Palermo Talleres
Huge building with an arty/old-school cafe/restaurant/event place on the ground floor and a co-working on the 1st and 2 nd floor. In the co-working space, there is a big area with tables, smaller space for a few people and private offices for small companies. There is one conference room which you have to book in advance.
Unfortunately, I visited this place while it was renovated in February 2021. It looked very messy back then. The co-working area, which wasn’t part of the renovation, still looked unfinished or under construction to me. The walls weren’t painted in some places and the offices were separated by simple play wood walls. Very simple interiors and a little bit industrial. Now it’s most probably looking better but I have the feeling that it’s somehow their “style”.
Work-Labs Coworking space
If you are a surfer this co-working in Las Palmas is for you. It’s a 5-minute walk from the surf spot. You will meet there a lot of other passionate surfers. There is a place designated for boards and a shower, so you can go for a surf during the lunch break.
But… The interior is kind of dark and not nicely designed. Some parts are looking like if they were under construction. There is no community manager or any networking initiative from the owner. Moreover, it was problematic for us to contact the owner at all. When we finally made an appointment to see the space he didn’t show up and a coworker showed us the rooms. It looked very empty to me.
Soppa the Azul
Big co-working with place for around 30-40 people. It was quite busy when we visited so it might be hard to get a table in high season. In the entrance area, there is a kitchen which before Covid was a coworking cafe. You will find there also a few call booths and a conference room in the back. In the cellar, there are working spaces for artists who make sculptures, paintings and jewellery. Altogether, the whole place has an arty vibe.
A lot of digital nomads in Las Palmas are choosing this place. I guess it’s the best choice on this side of the city. The interior feels cosy and it’s very lively. There are some small downsides like dirty toilets and lack of range in the call booths but it’s definitely worth trying.
Dojo Coworking
This coworking is very small. It has only one open space room with people sitting close next to each other. A lot of them were doing calls during our visit. There is a conference room which you can book in advance and a kitchen. No community management. To me, it looked like a busy call centre…
The House
My absolute favourite co-working in Las Palmas. .. It’s called “the House” for a reason – it really feels like home. The interior is very cosy and esthetic. There are two kitchens (small and big one), a nice eating area with flowers, some hidden spaces with sofas to work from or do calls and a terrace on the rooftop with a bbq place and boxes to grow plants.
The co-working space is divided into separate big rooms with few people working in each. You can also book the conference room if you need more privacy.
But the best thing about this co-working is the community. Every week there are several events taking place: brunch, bbq, Spanish class, etc. There is also a group on slack where everyone from the coworking can communicate. Additionally, once a week there is a yoga class on the terrace and you can book a massage. And all of this is possible thanks to the amazing community manager Leo.
It’s located in Vaguetta so you need around 25-35 minutes to get there by bike from the Canteras beach area.
4. Un Lugar – coworking cafe
You don’t want to pay for a co-working. But, you want to change the location and meet some other remotely working people? Go to Un Lugar. It’s a small and nice co-working cafe that serves as an office for many digital nomads in Las Palmas. They have good internet, a printer, very tasty coffee and snacks and a lot of sockets 😉
In February 2021 they had a rule that each person staying longer has to spend 5 EUR. In my opinion, that’s a very fair deal.
5. San Remo – meeting place for digital nomads
This is the place where all digital nomads from Las Palmas are meeting almost every evening. It’s a very typical bar with a big space, two billiard tables, darts and a football table. During high-season weekends it’s completely filled and there are some wild parties taking place there. The owner is a very nice and friendly person. It’s good to stay friends with him if you want to visit this bar on a regular basis – like every other digital nomad in Las Palmas 😉
6. Great internet on the island
In Gran Canaria, there is everywhere fibreglass internet. It means that in every flat or coworking you will have very fast internet with more than 200 Mbits download speed.
7. Buy a bike
If you don’t come with a car to Grab Canaria it totally makes sense to buy a bike. It will allow you to move freely through the city which isn’t that small. There are city bikes called Citycleta which you can rent and pay per minute. I was doing it at the beginning. However, after paying 6 EUR for going once from Cicer to Vaguetta I decided to buy a second-hand bike. Moreover, I sold it easily before leaving the island. You can also buy a cheap bike on Decathlon. The best choice would be an MTB bike. It would allow you to make some trips around Las Palmas as well.
8. Surfing equipment
If you are planning to surf on a regular basis the best option is to get a monthly subscription at one of the surf schools. They offer unlimited usage of board and wetsuit if you buy a monthly package. There are also some discounts for residents so if you are staying longer it’s worth asking about them.
9. Salsa and yoga in Las Palmas
On the very right side of Canteras Beach, there is a piece of land called Isletta. At the entrance, there are some wooden terraces where people can sunbathe. This is the place where different events and meetups take place. For example, once per week people meet there and dance bachata or salsa together. There are also yoga classes and workouts taking place there.
Also in other parts of Las Palmas, you will find yoga, salsa and bachata classes, hand standing workshops and many other events. Some are for free and for some of them you have to pay.
Follow the FB group and get into the Live it up Las Palmas community to find out more.
10. Lunch on the beach
Don’t spend your lunch break at home or at a restaurant. Take your lunch boxes with you and fill them with delicious food from Vegantopia (or any other restaurant) and go to the beach. Put a blanket on the sand and enjoy the amazing sun. After food, you can even go for a short swim or even snorkel and see some of the colourful fish. It might sound obvious if you live in a city with a beach but I was just mindblowing when I did it for the first time.
11. Try kickboxing
If you are in to fight sports or want to try one I recommend you to go to Eam Del Toro. It’s a great place for casual kickboxing training and Rafa, the owner, is a super nice person. Mostly locals train there so you will also get a chance to have more contact with the local culture and maybe practice your Spanish. Not a lot of people speak English there. There are different entry prices depending on how frequent you want to go. Gloves and any other equipment are included. However, it’s good to have your own bandages.
Important: there are a lot of girls coming to the training. During the training for beginners, there are no sparrings/fights. You will just do exercises to improve your strength and condition.
12. Groups on FB for digital nomads
There are plenty of groups on Facebook for digital nomads in Las Palmas, Gran Canaria or the Canary Islands in general. One of them is Gran Canaria Digital Nomads. I found there a digital nomads guide to Gran Canaria made by the admin of the FB group. It’s based on the most common questions that people ask in the group.
