Remote Work in Barcelona: Hivegeist Coliving

I’m still riding the high of a month in Barcelona, co-living with other remote workers and exploring the Catalan capital.

Want to hear something funny? I recently found my vision board from 2022. A year prior, before I even knew Hivegeist even existed, I wrote “spend 1 month in Barcelona”. Now that I’ve done it, I couldn’t have imagined it going any better. Here’s my review!

sunset at the Bunkers — Sunset at Bunkers

What is Hivegeist?

Basically…summer camp for working professionals? Hivegeist is a coliving program that’s primed to help digital nomads build community, travel slowly, and work productively. I chose this program because I wanted a change of scenery from Budapest and I wanted to meet other people with a similarly flexible lifestyle. Plus, what good is a remote job in marketing if you don’t put the location-independentness to use now and again? 😉

Need To Know

You rent a room for an entire calendar month
Most rooms have their own bathroom, desk, and monitor
Prices range from €1500-€1800
Weekly cleaning is included
Your membership includes 3 activities/month
You aren’t charged until Day 1 of your stay, however, there is a 1-month cancellation policy (I learned this the hard way, lol)
Currently there are locations in
- Gran Canaria
- Bali
- Palma de Mallorca
- Barcelona
- Lisbon

The Accommodation

At first I was a bit skeptical. I would pay more than double my rent in Budapest, and for an en-suite room, not even an entire apartment to myself. Could it be worth it? But after drooling over their pics on their booking platform and Instagram, I took the leap. After living there in-person for a month I can say I wasn’t disappointed.

They have four Hives in Barcelona, each with its own style. However, the old-world vibe and huge terrace of Hive 1 caught my eye immediately. I appreciated that it was one-click booking. No need to tussle with a lease, deal with landlords, or pay exorbitant AirBnb prices.

I appreciated the central location, as well as the small touches that make it an intentional space for community, from the deck of cards to the welcome bottle of wine!

The Community

The community aspect is at the core of the program and the main reason I booked it. My flexible job allows me to travel, but life can get lonely on the road. Obviously, friendship isn’t guranteed, but I really lucked out with my flatmates! It was so good to have new friends to explore the city with.

Also, the program is intentionally for working professionals, so everyone can respect the work/play mindset (i.e. you’re not trying to get work done while students are partying 24/7).

If there are problems with the flat, or you have questions, you can contact the city’s Community Manager. (Sometimes ours would randomly arrive and work from the flat, which was a lil weird).

The Activities

A big draw of this program is that it includes multiple activities to help you explore your city and spend time with fellow Hivegeisters. What was on offer for Barcelona? For February (some activities are seasonal), Hivegeist treated us to a beautiful welcome dinner, a cocktail making class, and a catamaran cruise. I still can’t decide which one was my favorite (although, I love that I now know how to make a mean daquiri).

Experiencing Barcelona

I love that the program gives you one whole month to explore a city from a stylish home base. Here are some of my Barcelona highlights:

Churrería Laietana: Listen to your churros sizzle in hot oil before they’re sprinkled in sugar and piled onto your plate. Dip into a fresh cup of chocolate. Repeat. There was a line out the door when I went, but the small restaurant feels more like the real deal than a tourist trap.
Parc del Laberint d’Horta: Did someone say Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire?? This labyrinth is free on Wednesdays and Sundays. It’s an incredibly peaceful sojourn from the city, accessible by metro and a 15 minute walk. After you finish the hedge maze, get some fresh air as you stroll the neoclassical gardens.
Tlaxcal Cantina & Taquería: Their list of taco options goes on for ages, but I always went back to the bistec con queso. Juicy perfection. And don’t you dare skip the guava margarita.
Restaurant Centric: Favorite tapas place! A 2 minute walk from the flat, I ate waaaaay too many patatas bravas here and would do it all again. Super friendly and fun.
UrbanSportsClub: This fitness membership allowed me to sign up for exercise classes across the city. My flatmates and I bonded trying spinning, barre, and burlesque!
The Picasso Museum: There’s free admission Thursday afternoons from 6.00pm to 9.30pm and the first Sunday of each month, from 9am to 7pm, however you must reserve your ticket online as they “sell out” quickly!

Is Hivegeist Worth It?

I’d say a resounding “yes“. The accommodations were beautiful, the programming thoughtful, and the management made a month-long stay in another country delightfully stress free. Most importantly, the memories made were priceless. I’m sure this won’t be my last Hivegeist experience. Where should we go next?

Bonus Week: The Canary Islands

I tacked on some time (read: forgot to cancel my reservation in time) at a Hive in the Canary Islands for good measure.

While Barcelona was all about exploration and indulgence, Las Palmas was all about relaxation and balance. It seemed like a fantasy to live in a penthouse on the beachfront, going for daily beach walks and tanning sessions, joining the huge community of digital nomads for Sunday volleyball or midweek taco nights. I’ll always be grateful. Highlights?

Renting a car last-minute and driving to the sand dunes in Maspalomas
Throwing together a Carneval costume and dancing in the streets with the whole town
Morning yoga on the rooftop terrace