It is no secret that that an increasing number of remote workers are setting up base in the Canary Islands. Here’s why.
It is early afternoon when I arrive in Candelaria, a small coastal city 20 minutes south of Tenerife’s capital, Santa Cruz. The volcanic black sand beach sits in the shadow of the mountains, engulfed by thick grey mist, descending from the north with the trademark abruptness of the North Atlantic winds. I turn right off the highway and crawl uphill to a mountainside barranco, coming to a stop outside a house where a sign which reads ‘Maraya’. From the roadside, it is an unassuming traditional Canarian build, painted white with a terracotta roof. I follow a staircase running parallel to the right side of the property, which opens up to a vast and vibrant outdoor space. I pass painted huts with thatched roofs, hammocks, and wood stumps acting as makeshift stools, reaching a swimming pool and outdoor kitchen at the foot of the steps. Beyond is a terraced garden of homegrown herbs, papaya trees, and a pergola. Yet, the most notable features of this mountainside oasis are the office desks scattered throughout; beneath the pergola, hidden in the garden and even on top of a shed overlooking the pool. Maraya is not just a regular hostel or bed and breakfast; it is co-living space designed specifically for remote workers.
The rise of Canarian co-livings
It is no secret that that an increasing number of remote workers are setting up base in the Canary Islands. Nor should it be surprising. Turismo de Islas Canarias, the Canarian Tourism Board, has been proactively campaigning to attract remote workers to the Canary Islands. Not only do local economies benefit from an influx of long-stay workers, a more diversified tourism model supports a shift in identity for Tenerife, and the other Canary Islands, from a Brits Abroad beach holiday destination to a digital nomad’s haven which combines year-round sun with outdoor adventures and wellness. What’s more, Spain’s new digital nomad visa which was introduced in 2023 will make it easier for remote workers to live and work more permanently from the mainland and the islands.
As a result, co-living communities, set up specifically to cater to the needs of remote workers, have been popping up all over Tenerife, and have proven very popular. Co-livings provide connection, community and belonging to those on extended vacations or living nomadic lifestyles. Lily*, who has been full remote since 2021, has lived in co-livings around the world for the past two years. ‘You make friends who are also remote workers and then book out other co-livings together, so you’re meeting up around the world.’
There are numerous reasons why Tenerife has proven so popular with remote workers. Most obviously – and what attracts hordes of Europeans to the Canary Islands during the winter months – is the year-round sunshine. ‘I wasn’t going to do another winter in Europe,’ says Ida*, who has spent the last few months travelling Europe in a van. ‘I’ve spent winters in Thailand and Bali’, Carl* adds, ‘but the Canary Islands have the added advantage of European time zone’. Although Canarian temperatures peak in July and August, when Tenerife sees its highest number of visitors, this is low season at Maraya. In contrast, there is a full calendar from November to April when western Europe is dark and chilly.
Co-living like a local
I was lucky to secure a last minute November reservation at Maraya, which is usually fully booked months in advance, and evidently beloved to those who stay and choose to return again and again. Maraya was created by five surfer pals who wanted to create a space near the ocean, where people could come together to work while enjoying their hobbies and surroundings. With Tokyo, Kuala Lumpur and Seoul among the fastest growing digital nomad destinations, and capital cities often cited as the most popular spots for remote workers, Canarian co-livings like Maraya offer guests something different: the opportunity to reconnect with nature. Besides workspaces with sea and mountain views, Maraya offers morning yoga at the beach and plant-based group dinners made from fresh garden-grown produce and served outdoors. When workers log off, there are group activities from hiking and surfing to roof-top journalling and beadwork.
Maryan’s benefit from local knowledge and connections, allowing them to access some of the best off-beat experiences on the island. After work one evening, we drive forty minutes up steep dirt roads to meet Fernando, a Venezuelan expat. Fernando, who rented a room at Maraya while it was still under renovation, has since pursued his own business venture. Fernando’s space is off-grid (or was – Fernando tells us the location can now access internet as a result of the new Elon Musk satellites), and just as well, for seclusion in nature makes the perfect setting for a mountainside sauna, complete with a campfire and viewing deck overlooking the ocean. The sauna steam mixes with crisp clouds of breath in blackness, rising up to meet a fairy light sky.
On the same mountainside, we frequent Los Patrones, an authentic family-run guachinche: traditional Canarian establishment serving local wine and homemade food. We order sharer plates of papas arrugadas, small, black potatoes, boiled until wrinkled, sprinkled with salt and doused in tangy pepper-based mojo sauce; salted codfish in a rich onion sauce, and cheese and meats from the charcoal grill on the veranda. Inevitably, the karaoke machine comes out before long, much to the delight of a group of locals, who partake with such enthusiasm it’s almost difficult to believe they do this all the time. Developing a taste for local wines, we plan our own roof-top wine-tasting, swinging by Bodegas Monje in Santa Cruz to pick up bestsellers brewed in an underwater winery in the depths of the Atlantic Ocean.
Community impact
Co-livings undoubtedly have a lot to offer remote workers, but what can they offer the local community? Indeed, the rise of co-livings spaces and influx of digital nomads has wider social and economic implications for the Canary Islands. Ben, a Maraya co-owner, recently connected with what he describes as ‘the more official side of the digital nomad sector’ at a local conference, where stakeholders shared plans to transform Candelaria and Santa Cruz de Tenerife into remote working hubs. This is part of a larger move to develop the local economy so it’s less reliant on traditional tourism, and attracts skilled workers to the island. According to the World Economic Forum, remote work could lead to economic decentralisation, where workers move from major cities, bringing new economic activity to rural areas and smaller towns without taking local jobs. ‘It would be great to work more closely with local community services going forward’, Ben says. ‘Connecting with remote workers with diverse skills and experience could bring positive social impact as young Canarians, who typically go to hospitality school, can access opportunities to explore other pursuits.’
Evidently, the importance of connectivity goes much further than adequate internet. A growing location-independent workforce, despite being unconnected to a need to be physically present, find appeal in a sense of community, cultural exchange and being in nature. And what more perfect setting than a volcanic island with year-round sun and surf, rugged landscapes, and an inviting local culture which deserves some more attention.