The 10 Best Coliving Spaces in Madeira For Digital Nomads
Three years ago, I found myself searching for the best coliving spaces in Madeira and the options were… limited.
As time has ticked on, however, digital nomad-ing in Madeira has grown in popularity. As a result, more and more Madeira coliving spaces are popping up.
I, myself, am a huge fan of colivings. I have stayed at several across southeast Asia, and I (mostly) only have good things to say.
They have helped me to beat loneliness while travelling and connected me with some of my closest friends. That, alone, is priceless!
Co-living spaces also consider the details that matter for remote workers: strong internet connections, ergonomic desk set-ups and community events.
In this post, I’ll sum up the best coliving spaces in Madeira right now and why you might want to consider (or discard) each one.
I also recommend visiting my detailed guide to being a digital nomad in Madeira for more in-depth tips including the best areas and how to access the digital nomad WhatAapp communities.
Disclosure: This post may include affiliate links. If you decide to click through and make a qualifying purchase, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you – thanks for your support.
MY TOP PICKS
Best for short stays: A Ver O Mar (Funchal)
Best for groups: The Luzia House (Funchal)
Best for long stays: Homeoffice (east) or Bond Coliving (Funchal)
Always check for Early Deals and Genius discounts on Booking.com
Why You Might Want to Consider Staying at One of the Best Coliving Spaces in Madeira
I love staying at coliving spaces instead of hotels or Airbnbs. But, if this is your first time considering a coliving space, you might be wondering why you should consider them too.
Well, here’s why:
- They can provide access to a community of like-minded digital nomads and expats.
- They’re less lonely; walk to the kitchen and you’ll see friendly faces.
- Coliving community events and activities make it easier to bond quickly.
- You can rely on steady, high-speed WiFi. The best coliving spaces in Madeira also have ergonomic desk chairs and dedicated office areas.
- You don’t need to pay for a separate coworking space.
- The monthly rates often work out cheaper than staying at a hotel or Airbnb.
Of course, staying at a co-living space does have its downsides, so it’s up to you to work out whether it suits your lifestyle:
- Communal spaces can limit your ‘alone time’, especially if you just want to cook and eat alone.
- Activities and events often come at an additional cost.
- It’s not guaranteed that you’ll like your neighbours.
- If your trip is short, it may be more cost-effective to book a hotel or Airbnb.
Top Tip: It’s always worth comparing the prices with Genius and Early Deals on Booking.com, especially if you’re staying for under one month.
The Best Coliving Spaces in Funchal: Picks in Madeira’s Capital
Funchal, home to over 90% of the population in Madeira, is by far the most popular place for digital nomads to stay.
Therefore, it figures that it also has some of the best coliving spaces in Madeira.
One big perk of staying in Funchal is the Madeira Friends community. The non-profit, designed to connect expats/digital nomads and locals, organises daily community events including hikes, fitness workouts and dinner meetups.
The city is also well-connected by public transport, making it easy to get around without a car.
The city centre is walkable, but take note that if you stay on the outskirts of Funchal, there are big hills. Sometimes Google Maps will say you can walk somewhere in 40-60 minutes, but it doesn’t factor in the slopes.
1. A Ver O Mar
Weekly rate: €300 – €650
Location: Santa Luzia, Funchal
When I visit Madeira, I usually take an unusual choice and stay in Machico on the east coast. However, every now and then, I fancy a few days in the capital.
When I do, I book A Ver O Mar Funchal. This coliving space comes in the form of a large penthouse in Santa Luzia, within 10 minutes’ walk of the old town and the nearest supermarket.
Staying here makes my life easy because the penthouse has a large co-working space with desk chairs, monitors, great WiFi and lots of natural light.
It also has a large, open rooftop where I love to soak up the sun and read my book. The communal kitchen has a shared fridge, an oven, and all the essential things I need too.
Getting there, miraculously, isn’t too difficult. The walk from the old town gently inclines, and there’s just one very short but very steep hill at the end.
When you consider that some of the best colivings in Madeira are only accessible by car or at the top of a big hill, it’s not so bad.
One thing I will say about A Ver O Mar is that it’s not ideal for connecting with other digital nomads. Because it’s listed on Booking.com, it attracts everyday tourists.
Both times I stayed there, I was the only person making use of the co-working space.
This isn’t much of a problem because you can meet other digital nomads at the Madeira Friends meetups.
However, if you want a coliving space that has other digital nomads, I recommend scrolling down to Bond Coliving, Homeoffice, Outsite or Banana Coliving.
A Ver O Mar, Funchal (£££)
I stayed here!
2. The Luzia House
Weekly rate: €500 – €600 (room or suite); €1,500 (four-bedroom house)
Location: Santa Luzia, Funchal
The Luzia House is also located in the Santa Luzia area of Funchal. However, reaching the city centre on foot takes 20 to 25 minutes – a little longer than the walk to A Ver O Mar, and it’s a little hilly.
Owned by Nina and Kurt, the coliving space can be booked as individual rooms (via Airbnb) or rented as a four-bedroom house (via Booking.com or Airbnb).
This makes it a great pick for a group of friends who are travelling together.
In total, the house has four private bedrooms and three bathrooms, as well as a kitchen, lounge, outdoor seating area and a dedicated workspace.
The Luzia House (£££)
3. Bond Coliving
Weekly rate: Not available
Monthly rate: €1,500 – € 1,800
Location: Near Plaza Madeira
Bond Coliving is a new coliving space in Funchal. It doesn’t have many reviews, but judging by the photos and the monthly rates, I expect that it’ll soon become one of the best coliving spaces in Madeira for digital nomads.
Firstly, its location is fantastic. Earlier this year, I stayed at an apartment just one street away, and I was so happy with it.
Bond Coliving is one street away from Plaza Madeira (which has shops and a Pingo Doce supermarket) and a two-minute, flat walk from the city centre.
(Side note: it’s also a two-minute walk from my favourite coffee shop in Funchal, Maia Coffee Shop.)
Secondly, the venue has a dedicated coworking space. The space doesn’t have ergonomic chairs, as far as I can see – boo! – but it does have high-speed WiFi.
Finally, the space also only offers monthly rates unlike the other best coliving spaces in Funchal. This has several benefits…
One, if you prefer to stay in Madeira for one month or more, it’s affordable. Two, it’s going to attract other long-stay guests, so you probably won’t have to keep re-introducing yourself to new neighbours every week.
Bond Coliving (£££)
4. Madeira Remote (Madeira Friends) Pop-Up
Weekly rate: €385 – €476
Monthly rate: €1,380 +
Location: Outer Funchal
Madeira Friends, a non-profit that runs community events for locals and expats in Madeira, recently launched a pop-up coliving called Madeira Remote.
It isn’t available all year round, but that’s part of why it’s such a good idea. By putting aside a dedicated time for the co-living to pop up, the people who stay there can really get to know the other guests.
Co-livers get automatic access to the Madeira Friends Hub, a co-working space that attracts other members of the digital nomad community in Funchal.
The focus of the coliving is community, so there are weekly activities such as hikes, cultural activities, community lunches and parties.
The private rooms have access to a communal kitchen and living areas.
The exact location of the property isn’t shared online, but on their website, they state that it’s a 20-25-minute walk from the old town and co-working space. The only thing is, it’s up a hill, so you may need to rely on public transport.
The Best Coliving Spaces on the East Coast of Madeira
Staying on the east coast of Madeira is a brave but worthwhile choice – and one I’ve taken for two years in a row.
Compared to Funchal, it’s easier to access beaches, hikes and levadas.
However, public transport is more patchy, so many digital nomads end up renting a car to get around (you can check rental availability on Discover Cars or Klook).
You don’t need a car if you stay in Machico, which has regular bus services to Funchal plus major supermarkets and a sandy beach. This is where I usually stay.
There are fewer digital nomads on the east coast of Madeira, but there is the friendly Remote East Coasters community who run dinner, fitness and other meetups.
Staying at a coliving space on the east coast of Madeira makes it easier to meet people off the bat. The colivings are also generally cheaper than the coliving spaces in Funchal.
1. Homeoffice
Weekly rate: €300 – €490
Monthly rate: €950 – €1800
Location: Santo da Serra
Homeoffice is one of the best-known coliving spaces in Madeira. It’s a villa with seven rooms, each with an ergonomic chair, plus four bathrooms and a beautiful 5000-square-metre garden.
The focus is really on fostering community, so there’s a large community area, a separate co-working space and the option of joining community activities including boat tours, hikes and barbecues.
There are also other perks for remote workers: according to the website, it has 350 Mbps WiFi connection.
The location is what makes or breaks it for most people. The Homeoffice villa is located in Santo da Serra, which is a hilly, rural area.
The nearest city is Machico, 20 minutes’ drive away, where there’s a sandy beach. There, you can join the Remote Eastcoasters community events. Funchal, the capital, is a 30-minute drive away.
Machico
Many guests choose to share a rental car and split the cost. Otherwise, you can search for your own rental car on Discover Cars or Klook.
One thing to note about Homeoffice is that their prices are charged per person, not per room. If you’re staying as a couple, even if you share a bed, you must pay double the room price.
This is unusual, as most of the best coliving spaces in Madeira will charge just a small add-on for an additional person (e.g. $150 – 200) to cover utility fees.
Homeoffice (£££)
2. A Ver O Mar, Santa Cruz
Weekly rate: €300 – €680
Monthly rate: Not available
Location: Santa Cruz
A Ver O Mar has a second location in Santa Cruz, a very small city on the east coast of Madeira. The city is just a two-minute drive from the airport, so it’s convenient to get to but it does get some aeroplane noise.
Santa Cruz has a long promenade with a pebble beach and several popular swimming points with steel ladders. You can also access the Piscinas de Ribeira da Boaventura, an outdoor swimming pool.
Again, you’re best off having a car here to drive the five minutes to Machico for the Remote Eastcoasters community events or 25 minutes to Funchal for the Madeira Friends events.
Santa Cruz doesn’t have a large supermarket, just a few smaller stores. That’s another thing to consider, especially if you have dietary restrictions.
A Ver O Mar, Santa Cruz (£££)
3. Eco Coliving
Weekly rate: €140 – €210
Monthly rate: €350 – €500
Location: Maroços
Eco Coliving is the most budget-friendly coliving space in Madeira. It’s located in Maroços, a small village just behind Machico.
Directly outside of the coliving there’s a direct bus service that takes five minutes to reach the centre of Machico. From there, you can access the supermarket, beach, restaurants, and the Remote Eastcoasters community events.
From Maroços village, you can also walk directly onto the Levada dos Maroços hike to Machico, which’ll take you around 1 – 2 hours.
Levada dos Maroços
I’ve been to the co-living in person and it’s a cosy but basic traditional Madeiran home. There’s a kitchen, a balcony with a barbecue and two shared bathrooms.
The village is quiet and green, with just a couple of small snack bars where you can grab coffee or drinks, plus a small grocery shop selling bread and milk.
Enquire about the Eco Coliving with the Remote East Coasters.
The Best Coliving Spaces in Ponta do Sol
Ponta do Sol, Madeira’s so-called digital nomad village, has plenty of coliving spaces.
The small village is located on the sunny south coast of Madeira, around a 30-minute drive from the capital Funchal.
The thing that many digital nomads fail to note about Ponta is that it’s a village. Literally. It’s very small.
It doesn’t even have a supermarket, so if you’re looking for food items that are out of the ordinary, you won’t find them here.
What it does have, though, is a pebble beach, a free co-working space (no ergonomic chairs, sadly… I peered through the window to check), a padel court and a large remote working community.
Once you join the Startup Madeira Slack channel, you can check all of the Ponta do Sol community events, which include things like hikes, fitness meetups, dinners and yoga.
It’s a good place to stay if you want to meet lots of other digital nomads off the bat. However, if you’re staying there long-term, you might feel a little bored if you don’t rent a car.
1. Outsite
Weekly rate: €630 – €800
Monthly rate: €2,000 +
Outsite Madeira is an expensive but well-established co-living for digital nomads who value their comfort.
The company owns a portfolio of co-living spaces around the world, so it certainly knows what it’s doing.
The wifi speed is 101 Mbps. All ensuite rooms have Juliet balconies with ocean views. The building has a workspace, lounge, kitchen and a laundry room. It’s also just a one-minute walk from the ocean.
The most surprising part for me in the air-conditioning, which is not commonplace in Madeira.
The catch? The cheapest room starts at €77 per night. Discounts are applied the longer you stay, but the weekly rate is still €630+ and the monthly rate is $2,000+.
Check availability on the Outsite Madeira website.
2. Banana House
Monthly rate: €500+
Banana House was the first coliving space to appear in Ponta do Sol. It’s community-focused, so they only permit guests to book at least one month’s stay beginning on the 1st of each month.
You’re also expected to take part in the activities organised when possible or organise something new for the community.
The house has beautiful views over the village and ocean, as well as ergonomic desk chairs, two balconies and a fully-equipped kitchen. There are seven rooms in total, sharing two bathrooms.
Check availability on the Banana House website.
3. Colive Madeira (Mill House)
Monthly rate: €900 – €1,200 (Whole house: €2,250)
Location: Ponta do Sol
Colive Madeira is another small coliving space in Ponta do Sol. Located next to Levada do Moinho, it has good access to one of the most popular levada hikes in Madeira.
The house is not in the town itself, so a scooter will come in handy to get to and from the co-working space and other amenities. You can walk 25 minutes downhill to reach Ponta do Sol, but getting back up is the harder part.
The three-bedroom house has a kitchen, laundry room, dining area terrace. The workspace is outdoors, but covered, and has Starlink internet and sit-stand desks.
Monthly stays start at €900 and get a 50% discount compared to the weekly rates, so this is a good long-term option. The whole house can also be rented from €2,250.
Check availability on the Colive Madeira website.
That’s all for my guide to the best coliving spaces in Madeira. Let me know if you have an experience to share. If not, and maybe we’ll cross paths in Madeira one day!
