Spanish Holidays Hotels on La Palma Island

A list of Hotels on the Canary Islands at La Palma. They can be booked online.

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La Palma is a volcanic ocean island,

one of the seven major Canary Islands, a Spanish territory located off of the north west coast of Africa in the Atlantic Ocean. Generally known by this name in English and Spanish, it may also be referred to as la Isla de La Palma, for example in a geographical context or to distinguish it from the Spanish cities of Palma or Las Palmas. Palma in all these cases refers to the Palm tree, of which there exists a species native to the Canary Islands. Historically the island was named San Miguel de La Palma, which refers to Michael the Archangel since the island was conquered for Castille on Michaelmas of 1492 [1].
La Palma Island is located at 28°40′N 17°52′W / 28.667°N 17.867°W / 28.667; -17.867, making it the most northwesterly of the Canary Islands. La Palma Island has an area of 706 km2 making it the fifth largest of the seven main Canary Islands. The total population is about 85,000, of which 18,000 (2003 data) live in the capital, Santa Cruz de la Palma Island and about 20,000 (2004 data) in Los Llanos de Aridane.
La Palma Island, like the other islands of the Canary Island archipelago, is a volcanic ocean island. The volcano rises almost 7 km above the floor of the Atlantic Ocean.

Starting a business or being self-employed

If you have a talent which other people find useful then perhaps you could set up your own small business of offer your services as a self-employed person.
There are possibilities for anyone with a trade to be able to make a living on La Palma Island.
Don't expect to get rich, but getting enough work to be able to live should be possible.
Most of the carpenters (wood or aluminium) , plumbers and electricians that we know have such a backlog of orders that there should be plenty of work around to be able to get started. People with welding and metalwork skills should also have no problem starting a business.
Fresh vegetables have been a booming area in recent years. The traditional Palmero diet does not contain many vegetables, just potatoes, sweet potatoes, avocados and tomatoes and ingredients for soup which include beans. In recent years more variety has been introduced via the supermarkets, but the quality is below the locally grown produce and there is little variety.
Since about 2002 Farmers markets have been growing in popularity. The permanent markets in Santa Cruz, Los Llanos and Mazo have always had some vegetables but since the introduction of the weekend Farmers market in Puntagorda selling produce grown locally in the rich soils of the North-West of the island people have discovered the difference in quality and the will drive miles to get good quality fresh vegetables. More recently other places have opened weekend markets.
When in season the Puntagorda strawberries are sold out within a couple of hours.
There must be a market there for this and other produce.
Teachers, doctors and dentists are in demand, but you would need to speak the Spanish language. You may be able to give private English lessons but again, speaking reasonable Spanish would be important.
There is a small foreign community on the island, mainly German but also some English, Dutch, Belgians and other nationalities. You may be able to find some work in this 'market' but in practice these markets are already saturated.
Don't expect to come to La Palma Island to make a quick killing with some new concept or with the gap-in-the-market that you have found. That 'gap' maybe because there is just no demand.
You may find that you cannot charge the rates that you are used to because the wages are lower than elsewhere.
If you have experience with computers there are also opportunities, teaching people to use them, installing and updating software, arranging Internet connections and resolving computer problems.
You can almost always find casual work as a gardener or cleaner, or as an odd-job man or on a building site. Of course you will need to know someone who can introduce you to the employer, just walking in off the street probably won't work. This type of work is not well paid and can be hard, but it can give you enough to live on.

Finding a job on The Island

Working on La Palma.Island

People often asked how people can find work on the Island.
The simple answer is that it is not easy to find a job on the island.
There are very few large companies on the island so there are very few office jobs.
There are some hotels but jobs there are not easy to find or are poorly paid.
Most companies, bars and restaurants are small family businesses employing just a handful of people.
Speaking Spanish is essential for almost every job, without it you are unlikely to find work.
If you speak several languages you stand a much better chance in the tourist industry.
It is unlikely that you will get a fixed employment contract, certainly not until your employer gets to know you. Most jobs are on a casual basis.
The island has a population of just under 90,000 people. In any area that you are seeking work people tend to know everybody, so integrating is not always easy. Employers always know people who know applicants, it gives an element of trust which as a new arrival you cannot compete with.
Bear in mind that many foreigners who ask for jobs tend to come and go so local employers will take a lot of convincing that you are still going to be here in 6 months time. We know people who have stayed less than 2 months. It helps if people that they know and trust will recommend you for a job.
There is very little point in applying for a job by email, post or phone. You have to be here. It might be worth contacting hotels or car hire companies beforehand, but don't expect them to be enthusiastic about you. They will need to meet you and talk to you before they make any sort of commitment.