What can you expect from accommodation in (southern) Spain as a digital nomad? We booked these places getting some work done and doing fun day trips. We were in Spain between October and December of 2024.

Sevilla: Salotur Thomas de Ibarra

Duration: two nights. Book this apartment here on Booking

The main reason to fly to Sevilla instead of Málaga to get to Tarifa (the goal) was to visit the Torre del Oro. So we booked something close to the center. The airport bus from Sevilla (€5 per person) has a stop right next to the Torre del Oro. From there, it was a short walk to our first accommodation in Spain.

The studio apartment was self-check-in, which we liked. The main door of the complex leads to a beautiful and lush courtyard surrounded by an arcade. The vibes were immaculate, even after sunset. From there our apartment was on the ground floor around a corner.

Finding the apartment after sunset. No sketchy situations

The courtyard in the daytime

Once inside, the space was small but adequate for our two-night stopover. There’s a coat rack by the door, which came in handy. There’s a small round table with two chairs meant to be the dinner table, but for us, it’s for laptops. Besides, for just two nights, we would not do any serious cooking and opt instead to eat out. As people who need to work remotely, staying here any longer would not have been fun due to the inadequate work spot.

Around the corner was the kitchen and a washing machine. The washing machine would have been useful for a longer stay, although I think it would be tricky to dry clothes here indoors in autumn. The kitchen was well-equipped for basic cooking. The whole setup with the fridge on the counter felt a little improvised. But everything was in working order.

In the rest of the living room/bedroom, there was a couch that didn’t face a TV and a TV that faced the bed. We opted instead to use the little table to put a laptop on to watch some Amazon Prime stuff. The bed itself was very comfortable and had two built-in nightstands. This was a bit of a reacharound, so I used one of the chairs as an extra nightstand. Both sides of the bed had nightlights and wall sockets for charging. At the end of this room, there was a big wardrobe with a drying rack and some other stuff. We just stored our luggage in there, though we’d have to pack it again 36 hours later.

Behind this was the door to the bathroom. No notes. It was spacious enough, the showerhead had a functioning wall mount, and there was a window to ventilate the space after showering. There was also provided shampoo. The window opened up into the courtyard of the building next door, which was a bit disorienting at first.

As for the location, it was quite unbeatable. We did everything on foot, though it was raining the whole day. Besides the historic sights of Sevilla, we also went shopping for Lao Gan Ma and other goodies to bring to Tarifa, since the latter is a small town. It was a very successful stay. Though I enjoyed our stay at this studio apartment, it was quite expensive, and staying here longer than five days would have probably driven us mad. So I recommend this apartment with the caveat that you also need to skip town within a week.

Tarifa: Moldy House + Foster Kittens

Duration:49 nights (seven weeks), too long

Since Jonas wanted to stay in Tarifa for a long time to go kitesurfing, we carefully went through long-term listings on Airbnb to find something. There was a lot at stake. The options were honestly not great and we had to choose between multiple bedrooms, central, and heating. Since I’ve spent several winters in southern Europe, I know the houses aren’t built for the cold, so being cold was one of my main fears.

We eventually settled on a big house, a little out of town. It was self-check-in and we never met the owners. We extended our original 28-day stay twice by two and one week directly with the owners—a decision I wouldn’t have made by myself. We arrived at the back entrance of the house, which is the street side with car parking. This door opened up directly into the office. Once we obtained more sets of keys inside, we always used the main entrance via the pedestrian area and the courtyard. This entrance opens up into the living room.

Back entrance

Pedestrian street entrance to the courtyard

Front door access

Front door opens into the living room

The courtyard had an outdoor table and a barbeque, which we never used as it was October/November and the sun didn’t really reach in there and we’d first have to clean the barbeque. It’s also usually too windy to comfortably sit outside, and the neighbor’s dog would often disturb the peace. When it rains (and we were here during the big 2024 DANA that killed people in Valencia), the entire space would flood as it’s completely tiled shut. The water’s only way out was down the stairs into the pedestrian street.

Main door is connected to the courtyard/garden/barbeque space

The pedestrian street-facing side of the house

Inside, the living room had a good setup; a spacious couch, a big dinner table (that we used for work in the later weeks) under the staircase, and a TV. The TV had a stripe of dead pixels that we got used to. There’s a fireplace that I wanted to use, but getting your hands on leña in Tarifa is tricky if you don’t have a car.

The living room leads to a little hallway with three doors: a toilet, the office, and the kitchen. This small bathroom doesn’t have ventilation, though a small window opens up to the office behind a painting.

The hallway

Small bathroom

The office/’fourth bedroom’ is on the sunny side of the house, so we had to lower the blinds a bit while working to avoid direct sunlight on our screens. There’s an external monitor that Jonas used for his work and two good office chairs. The WiFi worked well in all rooms of the house, including the office. We had a friendly cat visitor we named Windows Vista come by every day at this window. When taking breaks from work, we’d often chill on the bed as if it were a couch.

The office on the way we arrived

Windows Vista asking for pets

When we received our two foster kittens Fugi and Romi, we catified this room for them as this was the prior-agreed space with the landlord where we could keep them. It’s a wonderful space to raise kittens going through puberty. However, there was a constant stream of cars parking and fucking off in front of this room, which was distracting for work.

Coworker kittens Fugi (void) and Romi (tabby)

Catified office

The kitchen was spacious and had all the necessary devices. However, many glasses, pots, and plates stored away in the cabinets were grimy. So we spent the first few days letting the dishwasher go through the essentials so we could live in peace. Since this was an incredibly long stay, we were both chuffed with the dishwasher. We cooked some cool new dishes in this kitchen, but also bought some new tools at the local bazaar to make it more workable.

Leaving the ground floor and going up the death stairs to the first floor, there are three bedrooms, a bathroom, and a balcony. On the pedestrian street side, there was one room with two small beds and a nightstand. Next to it was one of the two master bedrooms with a very nice built-in nightstand behind it. However, this room’s walls got moldy during all the very humid weather and had to be vacated as it was spreading to our stuff. None of the bedrooms have nightlights near the bed, forcing one to use the powerful overhead ceiling fan light with a remote.

Small bedroom

Master bedroom 1, which became moldy

The bathroom is on the other side of the staircase on the street side of the house. It had a sink, toilet, bidet, and a shower in a bathtub. The bathtub and shower curtain were icky and the drain clogged multiple times per shower. Also, the window in the bathroom opens up into the laundry room and not the outside, so it was nearly impossible to reduce the humidity after a steaming hot shower.

And finally, the second master bedroom on the sunny side. Like all the other bedrooms, it has a very big built-in closet, an AC, and additional built-in shelves that are kinda cool. However, there was only one nightstand on the side without a wall socket, had a weird bed-wide head pillow, and the floor was wet when we arrived. It had rained in Tarifa, and the water came in little by little via the balcony door. The curtain in front of the balcony door was too long, so it would soak up the water and smell niffy. I eventually used laundry clips to hang the curtain a bit higher and just take the mop upstairs when it would rain badly. As it was on the street side, it was a bit noisier.

Lastly, there’s the balcony and the laundry room. The balcony has plenty of clotheslines for drying, but it needs to be the right day, the right time of day, and it needs to be neither windstill nor gale-force wind lest one’s laundry flies away. The buttons on the washing machine didn’t work that well either and required Zen-master patience.

Now, on to the pros and cons…

The description said it has four bedrooms, but it has three. It is too big to keep in a reasonable state of cleanliness for two people. The original idea was that we could host a couchsurfer here and there or invite a friend. That didn’t happen, though we did foster two kittens in the ‘fourth bedroom’, which used to be our office till the kittens took charge. Fostering Romi and Fugi (with permission from one of the owners) is one of the best things we ever did, making the house feel like a home.

One of the master bedrooms on the shadowy side of the house rapidly developed mold everywhere, even when we aired out the room every morning. I’m not sure if that made the problem worse since the outside air is also insanely humid. Towards the end, the mold had spread almost everywhere. I hope we won’t die from a fungal infection from this stupid long stay.

Since Tarifa is famous for its wind, I was also disappointed to find out that the house is very drafty in key locations, such as the bedrooms. The doors rattling in their hatches during a strong Levante will stay with me for a while. While I wasn’t as cold as I feared, the house wasn’t cozy either. There are heating devices that we have never tried, as they will likely pop the electricity. Perhaps if we’d used the fireplace to heat the house once or twice a week, it might have kept the mold small.

What bothered me for several weeks was how the place was simply not clean when we arrived. We had to give every surface a wet wipe to get rid of the dust and sticky. All pots and pans first had to make a round in the dishwasher. All the towels were brand-new and had to be washed three times before they stopped leaving black fuzz all over our bodies. The beds also only appeared to be made, but we still had to find sheets in the closets to make them sleepable. I just don’t understand when someone rents your house for 28 days and pays quite a high fee for it, why not get a professional cleaner over to make it as comfortable as possible? Why risk leaving a bad first impression?

As for the area, it’s not great, not terrible; a bit soulless. We had everything within a 10-minute walk. There’s a convenience store (alimentación) nearby and a colony of friendly street cats 1 minute away. Our main supermarket was Día, and walking to the Mercadona took us 20 minutes. Going to yoga was a 6-minute walk and Jonas’ rare kitesurfing occasions took 15 minutes.

Málaga: Central + Bright Apartment

Duration: three nights

We booked our accommodation in Málaga less than a week before departure, but there were still plenty of affordable Airbnbs in early December. We settled on an apartment in the Centro Histórico of Málaga. The host messaged us the day before to ask at what time we’d arrive. Since we were hitchhiking from Tarifa to Málaga, we couldn’t be specific. The morning of, we received a message that the apartment was clean and ready before the official check-in time of 15:00. We checked in at 13:30.

First, it’s three flights of stairs up and on the top floor. That means we avoided running small errands not to climb up and down too often. The door opens into a hallway with access to the bathroom, the corridor kitchen, and the living room. There’s a coat rack by the door and two sets of keys, which we always like.

Entryway, bathroom to the right

Looking back

The bathroom is small but has everything, including enough shelf space to put toiletries. The shower cabin is relatively spacious and there was shampoo and shower gel provided. However, after taking a shower, there was water on the floor outside the shower cabin. The bathroom has a window to the shaft so it’s possible to dry out the bathroom after taking a shower. There were no extra towels in the bathroom, though each person had one big towel and one small one. The small ones became our bathroom and kitchen hand towels.

The kitchen is in a narrow space, which makes cooking with two people tricky but not impossible. The stovetop has only two (small) hobs. The sink provides extremely hot water if you’re not careful. There’s a kettle, microwave, and some other kitchen appliances on the shelves or in the closet next to the kitchen. That’s also where the cutlery is at. There’s a percolator coffeemaker with provided coffee. No cooking oil, dishwasher, or oven, but there’s salt, pepper, and balsamico. We cooked only basic meals.

The kitchen is fairly narrow

The kitchen also housed the washing machine. There’s a drying rack for clothes in the closet, but no drying rack for dishes or kitchen towels to dry our dishes. During our stay, the neighbors below us complained to the Airbnb host about water leaking down from our apartment. An hour later, someone came by to try to reproduce the problem with the shower. In the end, we concluded it was the washing machine causing this. Since we’d already washed, they decided solving the problem could wait till after our departure.

The living room gives access to the two double bedrooms. There’s a couch, coffee table, TV, and table with four chairs that we use as a desk for working online or eating dinner. The WiFi worked well. The living room is bright in the daytime because of the sunlight coming in from the shaft. The couch was okay for watching TV but it shoves too easily. The TV isn’t a smart one, so we used our own HDMI cable to watch Elite on Netflix.

The two bedrooms both have double beds and small windows that don’t let in much light. Both have mosquito nets (important!) and anti-mosquito liquid repellant diffusers. The smaller bedroom has only one nightstand with a small lamp and a bit of a weird long pillow setup. There’s a dresser for storing clothing that’s also a good surface for storing stuff and a closet to hang clothes.

Small bedroom left, master right

The bigger master bedroom has two nightstands with lamps, an open clothes rack, and plenty of drawers. It’s also more Feng Shui with the feet not pointing towards the door. Both rooms look out on a building across the street with banners against overtourism in Málaga.

The living room and bedrooms have AC units that can also produce heat. We needed that in December. The apartment is bright and has pleasant decorations that are neither too little nor too much. All in all, the setup is good, and it would be liveable for a longer time for two people compared to the apartment in Sevilla. However, dedicated towels for the bathroom and kitchen would have been appreciated.

The location is hard to beat. It’s close to a Carrefour Express and Más supermarkets that sell everything you need. It’s close to a few craft beer places and vegetarian restaurants. The main sights of the city are all within walking distance. The ferry to Melilla (Spain, but in Africa) is also a doable walk.

Melilla: Golden Triangle Apartment

Duration: four nights

We booked our stay in Málaga, the ferry to Melilla, and our last accommodation in Spain all in one go. However, the first Airbnb we chose wasn’t confirmed within 24 hours, so it timed out. That left two options out of the original three for Melilla. Jonas decided which other apartment we’d go for, choosing between one on Booking and an Airbnb. He went for the Airbnb.

The communication with the host was smooth and there was lots of initiative from their side. We got all the info to check into the apartment before we boarded the seven-hour ferry from Málaga to Melilla. Once we arrived, we walked to the apartment, where we met a young lady who gave us the key, showed us around, and answered some questions. It’s not a self-check-in apartment.

Once she left, we were quite hungry, so I took the photos and headed out. We only got to know the apartment when we returned later that evening. While it’s a nice place, quite spacious, just one flight of stairs up, and smack dab in Melilla’s best-known pedestrian zone, one doesn’t get to know the space until one tries to cook, bathe, or sleep.

The entryway is shared with a hairstylist business, after which it’s a separate door to the apartment. The main door to the apartment gets stuck on the floor, which I think would be easy to fix as it’s also the first impression. The apartment is very long, with a bit of shaft light by the entrance and natural daylight at the other end by the window. The space has some smart separation of spaces with the help of a wardrobe. Feng Shui Modern would approve of it. There’s one other door, which leads to the bathroom. I think this unit used to be one large apartment with the stylist’s office that has been split in two.

The main door first leads to the kitchen by the shaft window with a huge mirror and an AC/heating unit above it. The kitchen is quite minimal, as there’s no kettle or oven, and has limited tools and pots for the two-hob stove. All the ceramic knives were chipped and shredded the vegetables instead of slicing them. Also, things like salt and oil weren’t provided. The fridge and freezer are very good and the washing machine is also located here. There’s a Dolce Gusto coffee machine and a microwave. Some surfaces and holds were sticky.

Overview of main door, kitchen, and bathroom door

The water from the tap in Melilla comes from the desalination plant, and it’s… disgusting. For starters, no bottled water was provided, so we had to buy that ourselves. Much to my dismay, there was also no dishwasher, drying rack, or kitchen towels to dry the dishes.

The bathroom had all the towels, so we put one of those in the kitchen. It’s important to be careful with the steps in the bathroom to neither hit one’s toes nor slip and fall and die. The sink area is quite nice and suitable for an electric toothbrush, and has space for plenty of toiletries. No bag in the bathroom trash bin. The shower is quite narrow and the water doesn’t stay inside and will spill over into the toilet area. Though the shower is nice and hot, the head is not height-adjustable and hung so high that I couldn’t reach it. Lastly, the bathroom doesn’t ventilate well without opening the little window that leads to another shaft, shared with the apartment next door.

The two-person work desk cum dinner table was quite small. Usually, we’d avoid getting any apartment with a round table as it’s shit for working online. But we made it work for our short stay in Melilla.

There were lots of side tables in the living room to move around or put by the couch. The TV area was cozy. It’s not a smart TV, so we used the provided HDMI cable to connect Jonas’ laptop. Some nice touches such as couch blankets, plenty of books, and decorations make the place feel homely. I think the couch can unfold to become a second double bed, but I’d advise against that.

The bedroom is behind the big wardrobe. There’s a nightstand on each side and long blackout curtains. We needed those because of the bright Christmas lights out in the street. Our home itself was also decorated for the holiday. The wardrobe has a drying rack for laundry and plenty of storage for the incredible number of pillows. The wardrobe has no shelf space at a usable height, only hanging space.

Since the building is on a corner, but the apartment isn’t, the only non-shaft window lets in a lot of light—even in winter. However, the light doesn’t reach the back of the apartment since the space is so long, and the wardrobe blocks some light. During Christmas, there are some events down below that still end at a decent time. It’s very nice to be in a pedestrian area with nearby cafés, restaurants, and convenience stores.

The location of this apartment in Melilla in the Golden Triangle (Triangulo de Oro) is unbeatable. Our favorite food places were Arábica, Matilda Coffee, and Restaurante Anthony (although they fucked up the bill). The Dia supermarket is a 10-minute walk, the Melilla Vieja fortress is 15, and the ferry terminal is about 20. It’s not necessary to take a taxi from the ferry terminal if you don’t have trouble walking. The apartment is quite pricey, but so is all of Melilla. Would I stay here again? Probably not as it was our second choice to begin with.

Unlock the Prices of Accommodation in Spain

To unlock the prices of the accommodations mentioned above, please sign up for my newsletter with your email address:

Useful info about accommodation in Spain? You may share!

Similar posts:

Accommodation in Serbia: From Apatin to Novi Sad, Belgrade, and Golubac Accommodation in Croatia: Our Stays in Zagreb, Osijek, Erdut, Vukovar, and Ilok Accommodation in Finland: Where We Stayed between Kilpisjärvi and Turku Pandemic in Penang: A Play-by-Play from Two Digital Nomads in Malaysia Accommodation in Crete: Where we stayed in Heraklion, Paleochora, and Chania