Thursday, 29 October 2015 09:57

The Ultimate Co-Working Guide To Las Palmas City

Coworking the surfy way in Las Palmas at the Ventana Azul hostel Coworking the surfy way in Las Palmas at the Ventana Azul hostel www.photosgrancanaria.com

You want to get stuff done but are sick of the cold and need to go somewhere inspiring? There's one place in Europe where the outdoor lifestyle and the infrastructure and services you need to work all come together in one spot. 

Welcome to Las Palmas city in Gran Canaria; one of the world's top digital nomad and co-working destinations with a thriving startup scene and one of the lowest tax burdens in Europe (if you open a ZEC company).

There’s something about the climate and the Las Palmas lifestyle that makes it a great spot to live and work or to come to get a project off the ground. Maybe it's the fast internet, the coworking spaces, surf hostels,  stacks of outdoor cafes with Wifi, European security and healthcare, funky Latino nightlife, great waves, best climate in the world, location right between Europe, Africa and the Americas, etc. Or maybe it's the huge tax incentives that entrepreneurs and investors get when they set up a business in Las Palmas. 

Whatever it is, it's bringing in more and more coworkers, nomads and entrepreneurs every year. Las Palmas makes most of the Top Ten Nomad Locations lists and new hostels and working spaces open up every month. Even the New York Times has noticed from across the Pond.

 So if you are ready to take your idea and make it into a business, or just work and surf somewhere warm this winter,get yourself to Las Palmas.

Resources 

Here’s a really useful list of coworking spaces and digital nomad resources in Las Palmas city.

Head over to Gran Canaria Guru for information about living in Gran Canaria; all the gritty stuff like getting residencia, buying a car, paying your tax and renting a property.

Stay here 

You can stay at a hotel, but that ignores the superb co-working options you have in the city.

The Surf Office

CURRENTY CLOSED: Located in the Port District of Las Palmas close to two beaches and the surf breaks, The Surf Office offers a great mix of work facilities, accommodation and fun activities to keep you fresh and inspired. 

Ventana Azul

If you can work from a laptop and want to be right by the beach, then the Ventana Azul surf hostel is the perfect spot. With a big roof terrace, lots of dorm accommodation and great links to the city's surf schools, this is a coworking option where work might just have to wait until after the next surf session. Other similar surf hostels by Las Canteras beach include the HiTide Hostel and the Big Fish Las Palmas Hostel.

Work here

All these co-working spaces offer internet and desk space in their rates. Prices for printing, use of meeting rooms and other facilities vary. New spaces pop up all the time and ll over th city so we don't try and cover them all. Here's a selection of the established co-working names in Las Palmas city to get you started.

Co-working Canary Islands

Great co-working space with an inspiring mixture of local and foreign people that all chip in and help each other. A short walk from the beach, its open when you're awake, offers free coffee and printing and has great energy.

Palet Express

The island's original coworking space upped sticks from Salinetas on the east coast and moved into an old bank building in Las Palmas in 2014. It still has the recycled pallet design feature of it original incarnation, bu is a slick modern environment to work in.

La Fabrica 555

Part co-working space, part design studio, La Fabrica 55 has designers, photographers, video editors and programmers who work independently and in collaboration. Great spot that also puts on concerts and events for beardy 'creatives'.

Soppa de Azul

Art gallery come coworking space with a permanent community of coworkers and spaces for visitors, this great space is in La Isleta barrio just a few blocks back from the northern tip of Las Canteras beach. 

Swap Coworking

A co-working space for the technically minded where everyone is an architect, engineer or technical analysts. People still make money from building real things. Who knew!

The House

The new kid on the block and located in an old building right in the centre of the Triana commercial district of Las Palmas, The House is a non-profit coworking space with great facilities and great prices. It comes with free cloud storage, roof terrace with sofas, standing workspace, and full kitchen. Along with fast Wifi and a multi-lingual atmosphere, that’s all you need to work in Las Palmas.

ACEG

For a full list of the best co-working spaces all over the Canary Islands, head to the Canary Islands Co-working Spaces Association: The website is currently in Spanish, but it has a really useful list of links co-working spaces across the Canary Islands. It is also plñanning a passport that allows digital nomads to work anywhere in the Canary Islands.

Business Events

Digital nomads (sorry, location independent entrepreneurs) congregate in Las Palmas for the Nomad City networking event. In 20i6, it's on December 5-9.

 

Keep up with meet ups …

The Digital Nomads Facebook group keeps you up-to-date with all the latest meetups and co-working events in the city.  

For a great overview of live events and language exchanges in Las Palmas, LPAInfo is the group to join

Business Services

Las Palmas is a busy Spanish city and you can get almost anything done locally. However, if you need to work in English, then here's a curated group of local software and online professionals with international experience.

Las Palmas Management consultancy and legal services

Contact Montelongo Asesores for management consultancy, legal and tax advice in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria city. If you are considering a ZEC Investment in Gran Canaria, Montelongo Asesores are your one-stop solution to hassle-free setup.

Las Palmas app development

Go to Intrahouse, the city’s specialist Apple and Android app developers. Intrahouse also take your website and make it responsive, and use their Pocket Paper SaaS solution to jazz up your customers’ mobile experience.

Las Palmas web design and development

Secret Source make effective websites and apps fast by combining top programmers with great customer service. If you’ve ever had a long meeting with your programmer and left with nothing but a headache, you’ll understand why this is a good thing.

Las Palmas SEO & AdWords

Just go to Todd Michael Heater, Gran Canaria’s resident master of making Google do what you want it to do.

Las Palmas Product Design

Go to La Fabrica 555 and organise a collaboration that suits your needs. 

Las Palmas Photography

For photos of Gran Canaria, and product photography, contact Photos Gran Canaria.

For video editing or shooting, and drone photography, talk to Bard at 45 Videos

Las Palmas property

Looking for a rental apartment, or want to buy a property in Las Palmas? Contact Laura at Las Palmas Property.

Published in Las Palmas

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Tip of the day

  • How To Choose A Legal Gran Canaria Airport Transfer
    How To Choose A Legal Gran Canaria Airport Transfer

    Gran Canaria's hotels have to be licensed and offer a quality level of service as well as having insurance and complying with fire regulations. The same goes for the boats that take people out to watch dolphins, the companies offering jeep safaris, and even the holiday let apartments. 

    However, not everybody in Gran Canaria follows the rules. For example, there is a significant industry running illegal and uninsured transfers between Gran Canaria airport and the island's resorts. These cars, driven by locals and foreign-residents, are just private vehicles and the drivers are unregulated and uninsured. They don't pay tax and there is no way to hold them responsible if something goes wrong. 

     At Gran Canaria Info we believe that all people and all companies offering services to tourists should legal and above board.

    So, how do you know that your airport transfer service is legal and registered with the Gran Canaria authorities?

     Using legal Gran Canaria airport transfers

    It is quite easy to know if your airport transfer service is operating in a legal way because all registered transfers have the following...

     A blue license plate: Taxis and other public service vehicles in Gran Canaria all have blue plates.

    A VTC sticker in the window: This stands for Vehículo de Transporte con Conductor, the official designation for licensed transfer drivers ans chauffeurs.

    An SP sticker on the car: This indicates that the car offer a Servicio Publico or public service and is therefore allowed to pick up and transfer members of the public. 

    Parked in the transport zone: Official airport transfer vehicles don't park in the public car park of the airport. Instead they have their own parking zone right by the arrivals gates at the airport (next to the taxis and package tour buses). Your transfer driver therefore should not have to pay a parking fee before leaving the aiport. 

    How to spot an unlicensed transfer service

    Unlicensed drivers get away with offerring their service because they claim that they are just members of the public picking up a friend. They are allowed to stand at arrivals with a sign (just like any member of the public can).

    However, they also have to park their car in the public car park and will walk you there with your luggage, stopping to pay the parking fee at the meter. A licensed transfer driver does not need to do this because they have their own parking zone right by arrivals.

    Some unlicensed drivers don't even wait at the arrival gate because the official drivers recognise them and get annoyed. Instead they have to stand further away (often by the Spar supermarket or the car rental desks). 

    When an unlicensed driver drops you at the airport they will not want to be paid in a public area because this proves that they are charging rather than "transporting a friend" for free. 

    An unlicensed car will not have a blue license plate, or a SP or VTC sticker, and will often look like a private car (because it is a private car). 

    What's the problem with unlicensed airport transfers?

    Some people use unlicensed cars because they are the cheapest option and don't realise that they are unlicensed. 

    There are several problems with unlicensed services. The most obvious is that they are uninsured so if something goes wrong or there is an accident, you are not protected. The price that unlicensed drivers offer is only low because they cut corners (hopefully not literally). You have no way of even knowing if your unlicensed driver has a Spanish driving license, insurance and a good driving record. Licensed drivers are vetted regularly and must be fully insured and licensed to work.

    Another problem is that unlicensed transfers undermine the legitimate transfer drivers and businesses in Gran Canaria. Local drivers make a living from transfers and offer a legal, regulated service with minimum standards. Every time an unlicensed service undercuts them, it is effectively stealing from local people and the island economy.

    We believe that everybody in Gran Canaria deserves better!

    Gran Canaria Airport Transfer Services

    To find out more about the Gran Canaria airport transfer, see our Gran Canaria airport transfer article which explains the three different models; man/woman from pub with car, online transfer websites, and local transfer services.

    Or you can book a legitimate Gran Canaria airport transfer at a great price right here. Our service uses local drivers and supprts the island economy because all the money you spend stays in Gran Canaria.

    Alex Says: Using our service also helps the Gran Canaria Info team to keep providing quality local information here and in our Facebook Group

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