Workation in Alicante

Thanks to corona, workations have become hugely popular. If you have to work from home anyway, you might as well do it from Spain, right? That Spain/Alicante is popular — I’ve been saying it for years. And it turns out Spain is seen as **the** ideal destination to go for a workation in 2022. That’s exactly what we like to hear. Columbus Magazine published a study this month on the most popular country for workations — and Spain is the favorite among all Dutch participants in the survey.

So Alicante isn’t just for beach holidays, sightseeing, bike rides and eating tapas. It’s also the perfect base to email our chilly little country from under a palm tree with your laptop. In this blog I share some tips if a workation in Alicante sounds good to you.

What is a workation?

A “workation” combines work with a vacation. In Alicante more and more places cater to this. There are good coffee bars to work in, different co-work spaces with good internet where you can get a desk, colleagues and good coffee for little money, and there are plenty of accommodations where you can safely rent a nice apartment on your own for a longer period (also as a woman).

Why Alicante?

In the research I read in Columbus Magazine, a few things stood out: Good accessibility (there are at least 5 affordable flights per day to Alicante from the Netherlands and back). Internet connection is of course key if you come here for a workation — and you’ll easily find good-quality internet even from terraces in Alicante. In addition, the supply of apartments and suitable locations is also very important — and in Alicante there are more and more fun, good and complete apartments.

Source: https://www.columbusmagazine.nl/thema/reisadvies/artikel/11258/workation-werken-in-het-buitenland-wonen-2022

Accommodation

It starts with a good place to stay. If you’re staying in Alicante for a longer period, you don’t want a hotel room — but an apartment with a bit more than just a bed and shower. I received a tip about Apartamentos Barbara 3 . There’s not only a daytime receptionist, you also get a homely feel thanks to the personal attention from Jesús and Irene. They do everything to make your stay as pleasant as possible.

Below are 3 more apartment tips, right in the center of Alicante. Everything is within walking distance and there are various work spots and coffee bars nearby.

1. Balmis Plaza Apartments. In the heart of the center, modern, complete and with its own (small) terrace.
2. Apartamentos Globus Be Alicante . Centrally located, modern, fully equipped with kitchen. No terrace or balcony. Located in the nightlife area — plenty to do day and night.
3. Apartamentos Teatro Alicante ; Super cute interior, modern, dishwasher, washing machine — everything you need. Central location.

Work spots in cafés

Sitting for hours with your laptop taking up a table and ordering only one **café con leche** and one **tostada** isn’t appreciated everywhere these days — especially not where Spaniards start their day in a coffee bar. But you can, of course, **bar-hop**. Good for your steps, too. So here are some tips for nice coffee bars with a **very** fine view where you can write the perfect presentation, work on your book, or have a Zoom call with colleagues back in the Netherlands.

C offee bars with a view:

1. Noray Puerto
2. Soho Mar
3. If the weather’s bad, sit inside at Madness Coffee.

Co‑work spaces

Since corona, co‑work spaces have really taken off in Alicante. You’ll likely be around Spanish coworkers — but as more nationalities come to Alicante, your network will expand quickly with colleagues from everywhere. The best and nicest co‑work spaces right now are:

1. Portal 6 — Central location, beautiful building, but many people are here daily, so the chance of getting a desk might be small.
2. Rambla Work Center — In the center, individual workstations plus a meeting room and kitchenette.
3. Ulab — Focused on Spanish entrepreneurs, which can be interesting. Own kitchen, modern workspaces and good facilities. Central.
4. Khooworking — Modern, central and good facilities.

Source: Columbus Travel

What to sort out before and during my stay in Alicante

NIE number

If you plan to stay longer than 3 months in Spain, you’re required to apply for an **NIE** number. You need it for almost everything. Not only when buying a house, as many people think. Even when you order something online, they’ll ask for your NIE upon delivery. NIE stands for **Número de Identificación de Extranjeros** — your fiscal identification number in Spain. If you want to get a Spanish phone number, take out a subscription, etc., you always need an NIE. You can apply for it at the police in Alicante, which has a department for these papers for foreigners.

Differences in working hours

Keep in mind Spanish working hours differ a lot from Dutch ones. In general, businesses open around 9:00 and work through to 14:00, then from 17:00 until around 21:00 in the evening.