The world's best long-stay visas for remote working – and where to stay for the desk of dreams

If you have ever dreamt of swapping the cramped commutes, missed breakfasts and strobe-lit offices for early morning walks on the beach, breakfast in bed and a desk overlooking paradise, you are not alone – and now is the time to go for it.

Many UK offices are still shut, or partially closed, and research by academics at Cardiff and Southampton universities shows that nine in 10 workers who have worked from home during lockdown would like to continue. A study by One Poll also shows that over half of UK office workers (51 per cent) are thinking about living elsewhere now or once the pandemic is over.

Hotels, apartments and villas – in the UK and abroad – have become the new office, and a host of countries now offer new remote working visas for prospective long-stay tourists. Aiming to attract freelancers and professionals, the idea is to breathe new life into struggling hotels and local businesses while allowing people to travel to places with quarantines so they can actually enjoy a place for a decent amount of time.

If you're savvy, you can find deals that are cheaper than the rent you'd pay in a city. Airbnb, for instance, have reported that hosts are offering discounts on month-long stays with savings of up to 76 per cent. If you have the economic means, you can turn your 'working from holiday' into the trip of a lifetime.

In Croatia, the new 12-month Digital Nomad Visa will be one of the first to be legally recognised as part of the government's Foreigners Act, which should come into force at the beginning of 2021. Since its announcement, Adriatic Luxury Hotels have had an influx of requests for long stays, leading the group to create ‘feel at home’ offers for bookings of 21 days at Hotel Dubrovnik Palace (€2,400/£2,169) and Hotel Excelsior (€7,600/£6,868).

Over in Spain, the country-wide Self Employment Visa also allows remote workers to stay for up to a year. Palma’s tourist board is tempting long-stay guests with a series of ‘winter workation’ offers, engendering 35 per cent of the city's hotels to remain open out of season and offer special rates. Among these is Can Bordoy, a 16th-century property in the old town which is offering full access to the hotel’s amenities, 10 per cent off food and drink, spa and laundry services, private airport transfers and an end-of-stay Covid-19 test, from €3,500 (£3,163) per month.

Though Ibiza and Lanzarote haven’t announced specific schemes for digital nomads, hotels on both islands are tapping into the remote working trend. On the White Isle, guests can work from Amàre Hotel Ibiza’s rooms, rooftop or even beach club, with a complimentary cocktail at the end of each day (doubles from £145 per night).

Eco Village Finca de Arrieta, in Lanzarote, is tempting travellers to its beachside rental properties. The chill-out area is being turned into a communal workspace from November onwards, and a desk will be available for two days a week in its Costa Teguise office. Long-stay prices start from €1,000 (£890) a month for two guests.

Germany’s Freiberufler Visa is specifically for freelancers and can be extended for up to three years. Applicants will be verified on the basis that their commissions are ‘liberal’ versus ‘commercial’, and they will have to pay taxes to the German government.

They also offer an Artist Visa, which is only applicable in Berlin and to those working in the creative arts. The Student Hotel Berlin (thestudenthotel.com), which has just opened in Mitte, is an affordable student house, hotel, event location and co-working space all in one. Students can stay from one term to one year, hotel guests from one night, and long-stay guests from 14 nights (rooms from €70/£63).

Further afield, the Caribbean is tempting visitors with a 'work from paradise' lifestyle, offering special visas for people to live and work on the island for a long period of time. Among them are Antigua, Anguilla and Barbados.

The Barbados Welcome Stamp allows visitors with an annual income of at least £39,760 to work remotely on the island for up to a year (from £1,590/$2,000 per person, or £2,385/$3,000 per family). Cobblers Cove has introduced a long-stay offer which is applicable for stays of 15 days or longer and incorporates free laundry service and an unlimited minibar with soft drinks.

Courtyard by Marriott Bridgetown (marriott.co.uk) has deals for guests who book for seven nights or more throughout December 2020, while Waves Hotel has gone one further, with everything included. The month-long Workation packages (from £6,000 per room) will include daily fitness classes and spa treatments.

Covid-free Anguilla is also accepting applications for stays of up to a year. Fees for eligible applicants include a digital work permit and two Covid-19 tests per person. The costs for stays of up to three months range from $400 (£309) for individuals to $1,150 (£889) for a family of four. For longer stays of three-12 months it's $2,000 (£1,498) for one applicant or $3 000 (£2,247) for a family of four. You will also be required to quarantine on arrival.

Most villa owners are offering special offers for long-stays, such as ‘pay three weeks, get one week free’ at Waves (from £11,500 per month; exceptionalvillas.com). Cerulean, a private estate which is situated on beautiful Barnes Bay, is offering nine guest suites and a complete staff of 18 people (from £230,000 per month).

For an even longer stay, Antigua and Barbuda's Nomad Digital Residence (NDR) can last for two years. It’s only open to those earning at least $50,000 (£38,600) a year, and applications cost $1,500 (£1,155) for a single person, $2,000 (£1,540) per couple, and $3,000 (£2,311) for a family of three.

To align with this new visa, Curtain Bluff has launched an extended stay package with a 50 per cent discount for bookings of 21 days or more. It’s valid until December 16, 2020; or from January 4 to May 31, 2021, for two adults booking one of the Hulford Collection of suites (£655, all-inclusive).