Before coming to Galicia, I had no idea what to expect. My past travels in Spain had mainly taken me along the Mediterranean coast of Spain or even Andalusia. I associated Spain with sun-baked plazas, dry hills, olive trees, tapas and sunset. But as I made my way through Northern Spain, travelling along the Atlantic coast, everything changed—both externally and internally. The landscapes grew greener, the air heavier with mist and sea salt. Gone were the endless blue skies; here, the clouds moved fast and cast dramatic shadows over rugged cliffs. Galicia didn’t feel like the Spain I knew—it reminded me more of Ireland, Scotland, or Brittany. A wilder, more unpredictable version of the country.
Galicia has its own heartbeat. Culturally, it’s unlike any other region in Spain. Celtic roots run deep here. You can feel it everywhere – in the music, the language, the nature. One of my first surprises was hearing the sound of bagpipes. I never associated that instrument with Spain. Here they call it Gaita, and it’s part of the cultural soul. You won’t find any tourist performance in this area – it’s just the real thing.
Discovering iSlow in Laxe: A Coliving that honors its Roots
What drew me to this remote corner of the world was a place called iSlow Coliving. The name alone intrigued me—”iSlow” hinted at a deceleration, a chance to unplug from the noise of modern life and tune into something quieter, deeper. And it delivered exactly that. From the moment I arrived, I began to slow down. I started sleeping longer, easing into the Spanish rhythm, and soon let go of my German habit of eating dinner at 7 p.m. sharp. My days began to flow with the natural cadence of the environment.
iSlow is tucked away in a small hillside hamlet about a kilometer from the village of Laxe. It’s a beautifully restored farmhouse and barn that now functions as a vibrant coliving and coworking space. From the outside, it looks like part of the village—stone walls, terracotta roofs, chickens wandering across the road. Inside, though, the space has been carefully renovated for modern digital nomads like myself. Fast WiFi, bright communal areas and a dedicated coworking zone. It’s a perfect blend of old and new.
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Curious about how th coliving looks like? Check out my room tour video to see the cozy bedrooms, communal kitchen, and the beautifully restored farmhouse barn. This video gives you an insider’s look at how the traditional architecture blends seamlessly with modern amenities.
And while it fits the definition of a coliving village in Spain, iSlow isn’t trying to be trendy. It’s authentic. Deeply rooted in family, history, and land. Inés and Julio, the founders of iSlow, live here with their two children, Lois and Amelie, both eight years old. They’ve built not only a beautiful coliving space, but a lifestyle rooted in community, sustainability, and respect for tradition.
Right across the road live their parents, who have fully dedicated themselves to the land in all its forms. They tend to their garden with great care, growing a variety of fruits and vegetables, and looking after their chickens, which regularly provide fresh eggs. Their days are filled with agricultural tasks—pruning trees, preparing the potato fields, and engaging in the seasonal rhythms of rural life.
The People: A Tapestry of Stories
Over the weeks, I also got to know the baker who drives by each morning with fresh bread, the cheerful fruit seller who arrives every Thursday in his truck full of local produce, and the fishermen who dock their boats in the harbor below. I even joined a local workshop where I learned to make a traditional tambourine by hand. There’s something incredibly grounding about becoming part of a rhythm like this—where faces become familiar, conversations deepen, and you begin to adopt the sounds and expressions of a place.
Interestingly, I also discovered that many people are choosing to return to this area after years away. There’s a strong sense of home here—of being rooted. I met Galicians who had lived abroad or in big cities and decided to come back, drawn by the beauty of the landscape and the richness of life here. There’s a pull that this land has on people, and I began to feel it myself.
Beyond the connections I formed with the local community, there was also something deeply special about the internal community within the coliving space itself. Life at iSlow naturally encouraged us to come together—whether through shared meals, spontaneous hikes, or relaxed conversations over morning coffee. Each week, we held a Spanish-English language exchange, inviting locals to join us for casual, multilingual conversations. These sessions quickly became a highlight—not only because they helped us improve our language skills, but because they allowed us to build bridges between cultures in a very organic way.
Within the coliving group, community was built through simple, shared rituals. We often cooked together, preparing everything from international favorites to traditional Galician seafood dishes using local mussels or lobster. We organized hikes to explore the coastline, gathered for sunset yoga sessions, or shared impromptu music nights with guitar, piano, or bagpipe sessions. These everyday moments wove us together into a kind of temporary family, turning iSlow into more than just a place to stay—it became a space to truly belong.
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Work, Focus and Flow
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One of the biggest surprises was how easy it was to work here.
I came needing rest, but I also had projects to finish—and iSlow delivered. The WiFi is strong. The spaces are thoughtfully designed. There’s a spacious coworking room built directly into the old stone house, which gives it a cozy, cave-like feel—quiet, grounded, and perfect for focused work sessions. Upstairs, under the pitched roof, you’ll find additional workspaces bathed in natural light, offering a different kind of energy. Every private room also comes equipped with a desk, ideal for taking calls or diving into deep work when you need a bit more privacy.
You can feel the heritage in the stone walls and wooden beams—but the space also feels modern, creative, and full of potential.
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It’s a rare balance: you feel grounded in history while being surrounded by people doing future-oriented work. In that sense, iSlow is an ideal base for remote work—a shining example of how a coliving Spain experience can combine tradition and innovation.
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As more guests arrived, the atmosphere shifted again. The quiet turned into energy. We had conversations at breakfast, exchanged ideas over lunch and shared focus in the coworking space. And when the sun came out, we worked from the terrace, soaking in the fresh air while staying connected to our global tasks. The energy was light, collaborative, and inspiring. Every day evolved a bit different, always going with the rhythm of the weather. A new experience that I appreciated very much.
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To get a true sense of daily life here, watch my typical day video. From morning coffee in the communal kitchen to work time and afternoon nature walks, this video captures the flow and feeling of a full day at iSlow.
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Exploring Nature and the Surroundings of Costa da Morte
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The nature in Galicia is stunning. I could never get enough of it!
I arrived just as winter was giving way to spring. Each day, the landscape changed a little – first tiny buds, then more green, then a full-on explosion of wildflowers carpeting the coastal cliffs. The beauty was breathtaking – and best of all, I had most of it to myself. Early spring is not exactly tourist season in Galicia, which made the experience feel even more magical.
That’s part of what makes iSlow so special—it’s slightly off the beaten path. But that’s precisely what I was looking for: a place to reconnect with nature and experience daily life in an authentic Galician community. The longer I stayed, the deeper I settled into the local rhythm.
Laxe, the nearby village, is about a 15-minute walk from the house.
It’s a fishing village with a long white-sand beach and a handful of cafés, small shops, and boats gently rocking in the harbor. It’s not a tourist trap—it’s a real, working town. People greet each other by name. Life is simple but full.
The beach stretches out in a perfect crescent of soft sand, and just beyond it, a trail leads you along the dramatic Costa da Morte. It’s called the Coast of Death for a reason—its wild cliffs and fierce storms have claimed many ships. There’s a lighthouse that stands watch here, overlooking the Atlantic with quiet resilience.
The landscape around iSlow offers far more than just the scenic walk to Faro de Laxe. In fact, it’s part of a much larger trail—the Camino dos Faros, a breathtaking 200-kilometer coastal hike that stretches all the way to Finisterre, known as “the end of the world.” This path follows the wild Costa da Morte and connects one lighthouse to the next, revealing not only stunning natural views but also a wealth of cultural stories along the way. Every village, every rock, every viewpoint along this trail holds a piece of Galician history. Each step reveals a new angle, a new soundscape, a new sense of awe.
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I never got tired of it. Even after weeks, the ocean still surprised me. During my stay, I made it a habit to spend at least an hour a day in nature. Sometimes walking. Sometimes sitting. Sometimes just breathing. These daily rituals became a kind of meditation—a way to feel small in the best possible way. Those hours gave me clarity and groundedness. Nature here isn’t something you visit—it’s something you live alongside.
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What makes iSlow special
To sum up, here are a few reasons I would wholeheartedly recommend iSlow Coliving:
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- A beautifully restored farmhouse with modern coworking facilities
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- A strong sense of local and global community
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- Regular cultural exchange through language sessions and shared meals
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- Authentic immersion into Galician traditions and rhythms
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- Unmatched access to nature: cliffs, beaches, forests, and silence
It’s also part of a growing movement—ISlow is an emerging digital nomad village, blending the best of remote work infrastructure with local culture. The people here aren’t just passing through. They’re participating. They’re planting roots, even if just for a few weeks or months. This is what coliving is all about—shared values, shared experiences, and a shared appreciation for the land and its rhythms.
This is a hidden gem for digital nomads and nature lovers. I would wholeheartedly recommend this place to anyone looking to escape the noise, reconnect with nature, and still stay within reach of community and modern life. iSlow is more than a coliving space—it’s a way of being.
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