I was fortunate to have the opportunity to sit down with Steve Haynes, founder of Savi Coliving, a sober coliving community near Valencia, Spain.
Savi is not a rehab center or a halfway house. It is simply a place where people live together without alcohol, explicitly built around the idea that removing alcohol changes everything. And what’s left turns out to be the whole point.
From Professional Kitchens to Recovery
Steve spent 15 years working in professional kitchens across the United Kingdom and Spain, in an industry where drinking wasn’t just tolerated. It was part of the culture, expected and encouraged.
He learned to cook at 16 under a head chef who, he recalls, struggled with alcoholism. Even then, he remembers thinking he would never become that person. But over more than a decade, he slowly recognized the same pattern in himself.
The pints during prep. The praise from diners waiting to buy the chef a drink. That particular loneliness of being good at your job while falling apart behind the scenes.
Then, on May 21, 2024, after a blackout night he still can’t fully account for, he went to his first Alcoholics Anonymous meeting.
What he built afterward was a sober coliving sanctuary.
Building a Space That Worked for Him, Too
Before he started Savi Coliving, Steve was already running an informal residency on a friend’s land outside Valencia, built around yoga and community.
People came, connected, stayed a month and found a space they needed. But he realized he had built a safe space for everyone except himself. He needed something that continued to work for his guests and also worked for him as a sober individual.
Then a friend offered him a chance to build something new: a villa in the hills of the Sierra Calderona, near Valencia.
Steve saw the opportunity to create a community with sobriety as its foundation. He rebranded Savi explicitly as a sober coliving space. According to Steve, the villa soon filled up and stayed full.
An interesting twist is that most of the people who come aren’t sober in their everyday lives. Steve estimates that roughly nine out of 10 guests may drink elsewhere, just not at Savi.
They aren’t necessarily seeking recovery. Many are digital nomads in their 30s looking for a quiet place to work and enjoy life.
What Is a Digital Nomad?
A digital nomad is someone who works remotely without being tied to a single location. Some travel regularly, while others establish longer-term bases in different places.
The lifestyle can include drinking, partying and pub crawls. But many of the digital nomads who find Savi are done with that scene. They want somewhere peaceful to work, without worrying about people stumbling in at 3 a.m.
As Steve puts it:
“They’ve done the party hostels … and now they’re tired of that whole lifestyle … they don’t need to be in party scene or a city anymore. They’re looking for a place slightly outside of the city where it’s peaceful.”
A Community Where People Feel Seen
What has emerged is something closer to a self-governing community than a managed property. The atmosphere is laid-back, giving people room to relax and get work done.
“There’s no judgment here. As addicts, how can we judge anyone? … My goal in this house is to make people feel seen, heard, respected, valued, and safe.”
Steve has also tapped into the appeal of slow travel:
“People are now into slow travel, which, yeah, seems to be taking the world by storm. You know, they’ll go somewhere, and they’ll stay for 3 months, not 2 weeks … they really develop a network, they really see the area, they get to know how the house works, how the community works.”
To help it all run smoothly, Steve created a custom app that handles onboarding, matches incoming guests by interest and lets residents build the week’s calendar themselves. Activities range from Monday intention-setting brunches to spontaneous pool parties.
Steve says most guests arrive planning to stay a month and end up staying three. Nearly a third return.
Friendships People Remember the Next Day
The idea that stayed with me was something Steve shared: You can’t hide behind being drunk. The friendships people build here are real because, the next day, everyone remembers the conversation.
Residents describe leaving feeling safe and relaxed. In a testimonial published on Savi’s website, guest Travis Weeks puts it this way:
“Savi is a rare environment where you can slow down, connect, and leave clearer, more focused, and recharged than when you arrived. When I’m back in Spain, this is where I’ll come home to.”
When I asked Steve about other sober coliving places, he said:
“We’re really at the forefront of it, as far as I’m aware, we’re the only one at the moment.”
What struck me was the intersection he has found: digital nomadism, slow travel and a growing interest in sober-curious living.
Steve is already exploring the possibility of opening more locations, so watch this space.
To learn more about Steve and Savi Coliving, visit the Savi Coliving website or email hola@savicoliving.com.
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What is Savi Coliving?
Savi Coliving is a shared living and working community near Valencia, Spain, founded by Steve Haynes. It offers an alcohol-free environment where residents can work remotely, join activities and build friendships.
Where is Savi Coliving located?
Savi Coliving is in the Sierra Calderona mountains near Valencia, Spain.
Do you have to be sober to stay at Savi Coliving?
No. Savi welcomes people in recovery, sober-curious travelers and others seeking an alcohol-free living environment. Its published policy prohibits alcohol and recreational drugs on the property. Guests should review the current house rules before booking. Our Story, Philosophy & Community
Is Savi Coliving a rehab center or halfway house?
No. As described in Patti’s interview, Savi is a coliving community, not a rehab center or halfway house. Its focus is shared living, remote work and community in an alcohol-free setting.
