Sunday, 10 January 2016 08:25

23 Reasons Why Las Palmas Is A Global Digital Nomad Hotspot

Digital nomads come to Las Palmas for lots of good reasons Digital nomads come to Las Palmas for lots of good reasons www.photosgrancanaria.com

It's no surprise that Las Palmas is currently second on the influential Nomad List of top remote working locations around the world, and the only place in the top five that isn't in Thailand. Here's why...

Las Palmas lifestyleCost: Las Palmas is one of cheapest cities in Europe to live and work in. Petrol costs less than a euro per litre, beer is under two euros a pint, a month of co-working with free coffee costs about 100 euros and a taxi ride across the city is less than 5 euros (the cheapest in Europe).

The world's best city beach: Las Canteras really is the best urban beach anywhere on Earth.

Friendly locals: Canarians are laid-back and always happy to help visitors.

Shopping: Triana historical district was recently voted the country's best open-air retail zone and you can get almost anything in the city's big shopping centres.

Surfing: The south end of Las Canteras beach, right in the city, is the place to learn to surf, the north coast is where you get good.

Food: Plenty of places in Las Palmas do a 3-course lunch menu for less than 10 euros and the city's markets are packed with cheap fruit & veg. 

Alex Says: Las Palmas even hosts part of the Gran Canaria Business Week; A business-focused conference & networking event held every January.

Party town: From the three-week carnival to a thriving live music scene and nightlife that often turns into early-morning life, Las Palmas is at the heart of Gran Canaria's fun.

La Cicer beachParty island: In July 70,000 people parade through Agaete town waving branches and Cubatas (the local rum & coke cocktail); In September 50,000 people run into a lagoon; Then there's the mud festival, almond festival and water festival and a dozen others. Gran Canaria is an island that knows how to party.

Co-working spaces: Las Palmas has a huge range of different spaces with fast internet, roof terrace meeting spots and helpful staff.

Support: Spaces like CoworkingC are super-helpful with everything from the best night spot to the best business angel.

Hostels: Beachfront hostels like Ventana Azul make living and working in Las Palmas a pleasure.

Four hours: Gran Canaria is just 4-5 hours from Europe and there are cheap flights from almost every big city.

The island: Gran Canaria is Europe's most underrated island and you can get to it all from the capital city.

The resorts: Feel like a holiday while you are working in Las Palmas: You're half an hour from the world's biggest tourist resort, epic beaches and a whole new world of nightlife.

Sunset on the beachfrontSafety: Las Palmas is Europe so it's a safe city with little crime and a long tradition of catering to foreigners.

Tapas: From the huge tapas night at Vegueta to the mercado del Puerto via the tasty treats on every bar counter, you're only ever a short walk away from something delicious in Las Palmas.

The Weather: Las Palmas has the world's most pleasant climate and the temperature never drops below 15ºC (and that's in the middle of the night). It's not sunny every day, but then that's a good thing if you're here to work, right?

All ages: Las Palmas has nightclubs that pump out Latino tunes until dawn but also has plenty of places for a relaxed drink by the sea. It's a city that caters to all age groups.

Internet: Las Palmas is fully wired up with fibre so most accommodation has fast internet and lots of cafes and bars offer free wifi. The city's co-working spaces have lightning-fast internet.

Local tapas in Las PalmasStart-up stuff: The Las Palmas startup scene has gone all professional and you'll find a great network that can help you with almost any project.

Island hopping: If you base yourself in Las Palmas, then you can hop to any of the other Canary Islands by ferry or plane. The Association of Canary Islands Co-working Spaces has 25 members and soon, you'll be able to work at any of them thanks to a passport system.

No Visa nonsense: There's no need to do Visa runs in Las Palmas as almost all nationalities can stay for three months as tourists, then just apply for residency. 

Healthcare: This is Europe baby, and all EU citizens are entitled to free healthcare for the first three months provided that they bring their European Health Card. For everyone else, there are plenty of quality clinics.

Alex Says: For more info on Las Palmas' co-working scene, and lots of the best places to work and stay, see this article

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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