Updated: October 20th, 2022
My new favorite spot for coliving, coworking, unschooler (or world schooler) as a tech entrepreneur.
This guide will give a little of my personal story as well as the three dozen bars, restaurants, coworking and coliving places I’ve worked from in the town of Javea (how the Spanish and British say it) or Xàbia how the local Valencians pronounce it (and I respect that). It will help you globe trotter, remote worker, worldschooling family or however you call yourself to make work work for you, when you are visiting this lovely little town of the Valencian Community in Alicante, Spain. Enjoy.
(Note: I take terrible photos, but the shiny ones you will find on the locations sites and Google Maps… I care more about noise levels, internet speed, power plugs, good coffee, great service, and a good view).
The Wifi I tested using the laptop (Macbook Air) without VPN on (which you always should have on for security and privacy reasons) to give you the real speed. Decibels I measured using an iPhone 6S app and let it run for a minimum of 10 minutes per spot.
Why Jávea?
We visited 15 towns during our Spain trip in search of a new town to live in the Valencian Community called Xàbia (Jávea in Spanish) stood out. We rented an Airbnb in the old town (super cute) and we walked to the old port regularly. There was a nice surprise when we went to the Arenal and I met people from all over the world and children speaking tons of languages. We knew we should put this town on a shortlist of towns ton consider moving if we ever left Mexico.
Anything with less than 100,000 inhabitants, beach, some community could work for us. We worked hard making Playa del Carmen in Mexico our home and I opened a coworking space there and assisted in events and other spaces and my wife ran the biggest expat Facebook group there, but Playa del Carmen became a spot where we needed to move to for various reasons.
We landed in Xàbia and this town has some nice worldschooling parents around, Pecha Kucha Nights, coliving space Sun and Co. and digital nomad and remote workers Facebook groups: Javea Remote Workers and ADL Creame. Around the town are these little hidden educational and respectful parenting projects in towns around ours like Kurukan, Semillas y Tierra, Waldorf Montgo, Grow Wild Forest School, Granja Escola Baladre, Orba’s democratic school Ojo de Agua and a local farm / Montessori school that made it just the ideal spot to return to for us in our philosophy. We decided to make this our home and pursue purchasing a property around the area with some land to farm and receive friends from around the world.
But hey… you have to work, at least a couple of hours a day and so I joined Javea Business Hub a coworking or business center that was here in 2017. But after they closed down (sorry their website is still up…) three of us remote workers rented an office in the center of the Old Town. Eventually, that turned into El Estudio Javea as small coworking that at its peak had eight people working there and we more or made rent work without too many losses. In 2020 we turned El Estudio into the next iteration called Nexopia Coworking.
Places Index
- The Beach House Bistro & Bakery (Port)
- Cala Bandida (Port)
- Nexopia Coworking (Old-Town)
- Carnaval (Arenal)
- L’Espai Comboi (Port)
- Vintage Cafe (Arenal)
- Administracion B+14 (Old Town)
- Cafe Milano (Arenal)
- Café Zur Backstube (Arenal)
- Caramel et Chocolat (Old Crème de la Crème) – (Arenal)
- Coworking Jávea (Old Town)
- El Raconet (Old Town)
- Geographic (Arenal)
- Public Library (Old Town)
- Posidonia (Arenal)
- Chabada (Arenal)
- Nostro (Arenal)
- Kefi Cafe (between Old Town and Port)
- Parador (Arenal)
- La Siesta (between Port and Arenal)
- Bonapata Boutique Bar (Port)
- Ammos (Arenal)
- Sun & Co.
- Café Cortado (Port) – Bonus
The Beach House Bistro & Bakery (Port)
The Beach House is a spot right next to the port of Xàbia where you can see the Fisherman ships come in. The the music is a bit to loud for working and the seats are not very comfortable to work from. They do have a space to rent for 10 people which is very helpful. It’s next to the sea on the lower level of Cala Bandida (another favorite to work).
dB average during my hour stay saw 74.8dB and the max was 89.49dB with kitchen putting the plates ready to pickup. Affordable coffee is a thing of the past now they upgraded to a more hip place with more expensive food. The Beach House has a rooftop lounge bar you can checkout after 13:00 (1 pm) and the Nomad Labs can be reserved for 50 euro (which serves as credit in the restaurant).
Photo… Beach House on a rainy day, still beautiful…
Location: https://goo.gl/maps/zCkpAye81mqeLtjZ7
Noise: 74.8dB average
SpeedTest Wifi: 56 ms ping, download 4.62 Mbps, upload 1.48 Mbps
Electricity: No power plugs
Cala Bandida (Port)
The more trendy bar-restaurant Cala Bandida is in the same building as the Beach House but a completely different concept with more lounge music and real lunch and dinner plates. The view is awesome its higher up and so the view to the sea is phenomenal. You will also find here (like the Beach House some digital nomads in the mornings working on low seasons (not July and August).
dB average during my hour stay saw 68.9dB and the max was 74.99dB since the music is always playing in the background. There comfy corner sofas and a nice beach design of the interior and plenty of spots to work. The internet is better than the Beach House but it’s a little noisier. The benefit is that their more spaces free during the day (outside the lunchtimes) so it might be the better spot in the afternoon for some informal calls with your team overseas.
Location: https://g.page/CalaBandida
Noise: 68.9dB average
SpeedTest Wifi: 12 ms ping, download 14.5 Mbps, upload 1.00 Mbps
Electricity: Two or three power plugs (bring a long cable)
Nexopia Coworking (Old Town)
Home away from home in Xabia is something the seven of us wanted to achieve with Nexopia Coworking and with the remodeling of the space at the end of 2019 Nexopia Coworking was born. We invested in sofas, standing desks, meeting rooms, Skype rooms, a new kitchen and amenities to bring a healthy, organic and creative space for remote workers to Javea. This review is massively biased as it’s our own space but hey… may I?
In the center of the old town close to the parking space El Clot you can always park your car within 5 minutes’ walking distance. The space is welcoming anyone that wants to work a month or longer and a tour is given by appointment. We open 24x7x365 with all members having the access code to get in. Coffee(s), tea(s), fresh filtered water, organic fruits are all on the house for all members and you can either join the open space with it’s fixed and hot desk, standing desks or chill in the sofas. The six meeting rooms are great for calls and just sit one person but they help out to get those webinars and private meetings done. Plans start at 99 euros per month (incl. VAT) and you will always find 3-4 people working.
Members coming from Mexico, Spain, UK, The Netherlands at this moment and so there is a nice mix of product managers, designers, copywriters, architects, writers and saas-business owners in the space and we’d love to welcome you.
Location: https://g.page/nexopia-workspace
Noise: 28dB average
SpeedTest Wifi: 20 ms ping, download two fiber lines and one 4G backup 600 Mbps, upload 600 Mbps (on load balancer)
Electricity: 2 power plug with every chair
Carnaval (Arenal)
Who does not like to work on the beach while the kids play… then the restaurant Carnaval on the Arenal beach is your spot. It has some more power outlets then both the Beach House and Cala Bandida and the internet is pretty solid. The upload 5.7 Mbps and that is solid for a place by the beach in Xàbia and there are always people there. The mornings you’ll find 3-4 remote workers there as well but most are more tourists as they discover this place faster than the restaurants in the port.
Location: https://goo.gl/maps/9sd8rjNvJoFrqv6b9
Noise: 66.4dB average
SpeedTest Wifi: 3 ms ping, download 5.56 Mbps, upload 5.70 Mbps
Electricity: Two or three power plugs (bring a long cable)
L’Espai Comboi
The latest addition in 2022 is L’Espai Comboi that is located in the port. The around 110m2 space if completely open and has a nice corner seating area and a huge 10 person table in the middle. Multiple desks against the walls for concentrated work and enough power plugs in the walls to make yourself comfortable. The focus is community building and workshops is something you will find happening in this space. Parking is easy and the port is just a 5-6 minute stroll away. Internet was 91.8 Mbps down and 184.75 Mbps up. Great coffee machine!
Location: https://maps.app.goo.gl/TZC5JFtV3JrRHud59
Noise: 47.8dB average
SpeedTest Wifi: download 91.80 Mbps, upload 184.75Mbps
Electricity: wall tables have them under the desk and the big center table as well
Vintage Cafe (Arenal)
Recommended by a friend and wow lovely bread and cakes there. It’s on a popular avenue and nice to see tons of people pass by. But too noisy for me with a 75.5dB average and max 95.7dB it’s not a cafe where I’m going to set up my laptop again. The reason is that its really small with seven tables inside and another 7 outside. Outside no power plug and inside I discovered only three. The inside is then next to the coffee machine and since it’s a popular spot… making coffee all the time. The Internet is great and fast… so if you just need to upload something while being at the Arenal it’s a good spot. Getting actual work done… is not possible for me.
Location: https://goo.gl/maps/7w6kofyj1koXkEfv5
Noise: 75.5dB average
SpeedTest Wifi: 24 ms ping, download 69.33 Mbps, upload 88.22 Mbps
Electricity: Two or three tables have a connection to a power plug within 0.5 meters
Administracion B+14 (Old Town)
Standing there at 11 am on a Tuesday in front of the office and call their numbers to find out nobody picks up and neither the front doorbell rings. So hard to review if they are not answering the phone or their front door. The website is https://www.administracionb14.com/ if you feel like giving it a go.
Location: https://goo.gl/maps/xqNH4n743pozsiV19
Cafe Milano (Arenal)
This cafe is something lots of British locals recommend and it’s a fun little coffee shop. They welcome most customers coming through the door with “bonjourno” and the coffee is nice and it has ample parking space in front. It’s close to the Arenal but surely outside the tourist area and you would never find it if you were not looking for it. They have a little more of a franchise feeling with lots of coffee flavors (siropes) and all Cafe Milano branded takeaway cups (they only sell sturdy plastic cups and don’t produce much waste) so that’s a nice little touch. The internet is not as good as some other spots but I’m sure coffee lovers want to give this place a go. Upload speed is slow and the top noise level was 84.8dB and this year they made the choice not to allow laptop work anymore inside.
Location: https://g.page/milanojavea
Noise: 74.3dB average
SpeedTest Wifi: 6 ms ping, download 9.81 Mbps, upload 0.97 Mbps
Electricity: None outside (inside not allowed to work)
Café Zur Backstube (Arenal)
I stumbled upon this little German coffee shop, like German, German… all products have German names, they welcome you in German but speak English and Spanish. Little German cakes and it’s like a little German supermarket as well. Indoor seating of 10 tables and 6-7 outside on terras that I’m sure is nice and cool in summer. German customers talking German and comfortable background music as low volume. The whole place never reached more than 80.9dB during my stay and unfortunately, I did not see any power plugs but when you are looking for a German experience with good coffee and breakfast and good internet speeds, this is your spot. I could not help pick up some bread from their… yep, German bakery…
Location: https://goo.gl/maps/k28J2o7B4CtrkzfB7
Noise: 66.8dB average
SpeedTest Wifi: 15 ms ping, download 112.19 Mbps, upload 46.43 Mbps
Electricity: Did not see any
Caramel et Chocolate (old: Crème de la Crème) – (Arenal)
Love their baked goods, I mean parking right in front and short business meetings are excellent in Caramel et Chocolat. They also have a nice wine and cheese plate so it’s a little more than the bakery. Their wifi speed is pretty solid with 14 Mbps up and down, the annoying things are that you have to give up your privacy to get access. Your Facebook, Instagram or email is needed to register. You can get around this by leaving a fake email (which I do) since I don’t care for spam in the future.
The price of the lovely croissants or coffee is no different from other places (and honestly not something I’m looking at in detail), working from any place should cost you between 5-10 euros for a couple of hours is my opinion. You spend the same in an office if not more in a coworking.
The place is a little noisy inside for my taste. 81.8dB was the peak (making coffee, music in the background and team members talking). But 71.1dB is a little more than most places and for example, the Beach House with a similar menu is by the beach and accessible parking, making that my preference over Creme de la Creme.
Location: https://goo.gl/maps/bqErNRc2nfyq9TG29
Noise: 72.1dB average
SpeedTest Wifi: 21 ms ping, download 14.03 Mbps, upload 14.10 Mbps
Electricity: All tables inside have access to a power plug within 1.5 meters (do bring a long cord)
Coworking Jávea (Old Town)
One other coworking is Coworking Jávea that are located in a corner building close to the old town. Entering you are directly in the common space that is available to its members. Professional office furniture is there and in the two other rooms that this coworking is offering. With around 45m2 it’s cute and good option for coworkers in Xàbia.
Location: https://maps.app.goo.gl/dfiq38LmG9tMEu767
Noise: unknown
SpeedTest Wifi: unknown
Electricity: plenty to go around
El Raconet (Old Town)
I stumbled upon this place on a nice pizza with the kids. Slices at 2-3 euro but it has a nice area inside and I can see myself hanging out here for an hour on the terras or inside. A quick bite but with 250 Mbps fiber is an interesting combination. Noise levels of average 66.6dB and a peak of 74.5dB are doable while working on that slice of 4-cheeses. Service is quick and nice, it’s downtown and although no power plugs for customers exist… the fiber speed makes this a spot to consider while you are visiting the center of town and need to jump on the (charged) laptop for an hour.
Location: https://goo.gl/maps/Cq8uP3QAE3Qbm8a17
Noise: 66.6dB average
SpeedTest Wifi: 13 ms ping, download 293.79 Mbps, upload 256.14 Mbps
Electricity: Spotted two power plugs inside
Geographic (Arenal)
Next to Carnaval on the Arenal boulevard is Geographic where you find good food and sports on the big screens. A sports bar that is a little noisy to work but not a bad spot. The food is fast and pretty good and you can watch the kids in front of the playground on the beach. A fiber optic line that works well with 40+ Mbps and comfortable booths (without power). I worked here in the beginning when I landed in Javea and at the back, there was a comfy sofa that I called home one day a week. Good spot, not my favorite in this exploration of working spots, just because it’s a little too noisy for me.
Location: https://goo.gl/maps/4MMhHLmSMJ7hFrbK7
Noise: 101.1dB average
SpeedTest Wifi: 3 ms ping, download 42.09 Mbps, upload 19.57 Mbps
Electricity: It’s a big place but still there are just 3-4 power plugs
Public Library (Old Town)
One of the locations that is always great to work from is a public library. Free space and with a simple registration form to get the wifi login and your in a space with near silence. The internet is a 70Mbps line (up and down) and their plenty of spaces to work from and good plugs to setup. You cannot make calls there but it definitely is one option to work and free.
Location: https://goo.gl/maps/wSNCTqD2jcTK6mn9A
Noise: 63.1dB average
SpeedTest Wifi: 8 ms ping, download 71.2 Mbps, upload 70.1 Mbps
Electricity: Lots of tables have plugs
Posidonia (Arenal)
I’ve passed by this place so many times and never went in, but for this article, I stepped out of my comfort zone and gave it a go. Surprisingly the breakfasts are nice and affordable… belly full for anything between 6.40-8 euros. The place is full of people above 60 all morning and there is slightly too much noise (peak 79.2dB) with everyone talking and the music in the background and you won’t find any power plugs either. But he… the breakfast is affordable and good… even if you have to make an effort to get the waiter’s attention. The beach is right next to you and the Arenal promenade, hard to complain about it. The Internet is solid, fiber with around 50 Mbps. I’ll come back with a book, earplugs and enjoy a book over breakfast. For work, it’s a little too noisy for me.
Location: https://goo.gl/maps/6DdEF98gw1TPw67R7
Noise: 68.5dB average
SpeedTest Wifi: 20 ms ping, download 44.53 Mbps, upload 53.62 Mbps
Electricity: Spotted no
Chabada (Arenal)
The Javea Company owns a couple of restaurants (like Chabada and La Siesta) and their service is always top-notch. This restaurant is on beachfront close to Geographic and Carnival and designed in an open setting with 2-3 restaurant buildings combined. The open setting allows people to sit sort of inside/outside mix which is a problem for me as this allows smokers to mix with non-smokers as it’s not clear where outside is (legally you can smoke there) where inside you cannot smoke in Spain. So definitely not my work spot but again not a horrible spot by the beach… the ambiance is nice, the design is not, internet decent and the peak noise level was 82.3dB. Good to try something different.
Location: https://goo.gl/maps/ajT6HLg4hrhuwwPg8
Noise: 71.9dB average
SpeedTest Wifi: 6 ms ping, download 9.57 Mbps, upload 9.63 Mbps
Electricity: It’s a big place but still there are just 3-4 power plugs
Nostro (Arenal)
The local version of your Starbucks is Nostro in Xabia. This little spot is on the backend of the Arenal beach and has lots of little and delicious pastries. The service is fast and friendly and the internet is decent. The problem with places that area coffee shops and small is that the noise peaks around coffee machines. This spot peaked at 97dB at points where music, people talking and the coffee is made. Which makes this a spot that’s impossible to have conversations with customers and hard to chat with remote colleagues. The Wifi is fiber and pretty decent and there are tons of parking around (outside the high season). Being close to the beach makes this a spot with a plus… since sometimes you need a little wind in the hair to get the creative flow going.
Location: https://goo.gl/maps/7vMJtYeWBXY3Gt5z6
Noise: 76.8dB average
SpeedTest Wifi: 6 ms ping, download 26.60 Mbps, upload 28.98 Mbps
Electricity: no power plugs whatsoever
Parador (Arenal)
If you like to experience a little of Javea’s history visit the Parador at the beginning of the Arenal beach. This hotel from 1928 has a lovely garden and unique view over Arenal. The place is and feels like an old hotel with friendly staff all in black and general a little outdated feel to the place. But if the internet was any better I think it would be a spot where I’d come more often to enjoy the garden view and sea breeze. With a ping of 113 and weak internet of 5 up and 1.5 down, it’s hard to work or make calls. The noise level never reached more than 70.4db inside with the huge space it has and low music in the background.
Location: https://g.page/parador-de-javea
Noise: 57.1dB average
SpeedTest Wifi: 113 ms ping, download 5.22 Mbps, upload 1.46 Mbps
Electricity: Next to sofas good number of plugs
Kefi Café (between Old Town and Port)
Next to the towns main sports center (polideportivo) there is a cafe called Kefi Café with homemade sweets like donuts and cakes. The coffee comes from Nostro Cafe and lovely little snacks and good lunch menu.
It’s convenient for me as parent with kids in some of the gymnastics classes. It’s next door, super internet and affordable. A touch of care from the team and not to noisy. Of course sitting in front of the coffee machine is not a good spot so taking calls indoors if its cold outside or raining is not going to work out well.
The power plugs are nicely distributed so you can usually find one around and under the sofas.
Location: https://goo.gl/maps/wCV92zwHAKvFr74o8
Noise: 69.9 dB average
SpeedTest Wifi: 11 ms ping, download 176 Mbps, upload 129 Mbps
Electricity: Every 2 meters one plug
La Siesta (between Port and Arenal)
One of the spots I love to work is La Siesta a very professionally run bar by the Javea Company team right on the beach. Between the Arenal and the Port of Javea, we have rocks right next to the waterfront. La Siesta is 6 meters from the water and just has that Ibiza club look and feel. Service runs smooth and food is good and the kitchen runs smooth and fast. It’s open as long as the weather is not too awful but sometimes closed by surprise for private parties and weddings. It has a pretty decent internet line of 10/10 up/down at 5 ms ping. The noise level is a little higher than coworking or some of the other places but he… this is just to show off to your colleagues that you found a new favorite spot in Spain, not to get tons of work done.
This is the place you want to show off to your nomad tribe on Instagram. Just bring your laptop fully charged as you won’t find a single power plug unless you ask the team to unplug a blender at the bar. But you get this view (below) with your feet in the sand and lounge music in the background… in return for a price of a coffee or beer that any bar will charge you.
Location: https://goo.gl/maps/nc3UZ3xXzBDuS5Pf6
Noise: 67.8dB average
SpeedTest Wifi: 5 ms ping, download 9.26 Mbps, upload 9.52 Mbps
Electricity: None
Bonapata Boutique Bar (Port)
Cute little shop for cheese, hams, and wine. Not my favorite because of the smells of the good to be around working very long but the internet is solid and noise is non-existent here. Soft music with the only noise the staff cleaning the bar and place so peaks around 85.7dB but average 66.3dB and solid 100 Mbps fiber line. If you want to pick up some nice bread, cheese or ham, bring your laptop. The place seduces you to have wine inside or outside. It’s close to the public school of the Port so if you were waiting for the kids to be finished this might be your spot.
Location: https://goo.gl/maps/PR9MMPbRH3iQPQ2a7
Noise: 66.3dB average
SpeedTest Wifi: 20 ms ping, download 89.40 Mbps, upload 95.43 Mbps
Electricity: Two power outlets around indoor tables
Ammos (Arenal)
I felt very welcome walking this place on the Arenal, soft background jazz music (still a little louder than I’d like) but at 69.6dB a pretty decent background noise (music). The design is very beach-like with soft pastel tones and sofas are very comfortable. The Nespresso machine (without plastic cups) gives good coffee and a peak of 86.7dB so in general pretty doable. The spot could be my favorite on the Arenal if… if the music was a couple of decibels lower… well, who knows, let’s see where I walk in again next week… maybe the music is not a deal-breaker. The little cake that came with the coffee opened my appetite to spend some extra money on the lovely cakes at the counter (well done) and a similar approach to BeachHouse and Salt where they give something small home-baked with the coffee that opens the appetite for more.
Not a lot of outlets for laptops but their two double ones indoor with tables next to it so that can work. The wifi is fiber with 2ms ping and around 55 down and 44 up so excellent for most beach-working.
Location: https://g.page/ammosjavea
Noise: 69.6dB average
SpeedTest Wifi: 2 ms ping, download 55.58 Mbps, upload 43.44 Mbps
Electricity: Two double power outlets around indoor tables
Sun & Co (Coliving).
There is a coliving space in Xabia called Sun & Co. in summers it’s a hostel and off-season an awesome coliving space that hosts lots of internal events for the temporary residents. The only way you can work from that spot is to have a room there, but they let me in for this article. I needed to check the plug (solid) and noise (none) and internet speed (good) before I could honestly tell you if I’d like to work there.
The noise level maxed at 72.6dB and so while around 8-10 people were working there when I was there the call levels were very respectful. They let me work in a Skype room with 6 seats and that was even more quit. Jon showed me around and the place has a lovely design of old and new and a huge kitchen where coliving happens. If you looking to rent in Xabia and come alone or as a couple and you like the coliving idea, give this space a try. Prices range from 22 euro’s a night for a quad dorm room to 50 euro for a premium single at the time of writing (Nov 2019) for a 30+ day stay and around 35% higher for a 7 day stay on either room.
Location: https://goo.gl/maps/HQ5zYBotJ6SDCXTi6
Noise: 67.1dB average
SpeedTest Wifi: 20 ms ping, download 101.03 Mbps, upload 50.30 Mbps
Electricity: Power plugs all over the place
Café Cortado (Port) – Bonus
This cafe was clear no credit cards, only cash! So since I put all my coworking expenses on the company card, I did not try this one. Its location might be interesting to some people as it’s next to the government Sportclub of the Port and so when the kids are in class you can try this out. But the card thing made me skip it.
Location: https://goo.gl/maps/p2GT83ZjQA9DNwFc7
