sparklegem

Hi,
I am toying with the idea of extending our Costa Rica trip by attending a Spanish language school. I am hoping to find one that has a program for children. Does anyone have a suggestion?

Suzie2

I studied for 3 weeks with CPI. They teach children as young as 5. I don't know that they have a formal childrens program though. You can do a homestay through them which is a wonderful experience. I studied in each one of their 3 campuses but only did 2 different homestays. My son was living in Monteverde at the time so I didn't want to worry about having to keep my family informed of my schedule.
If you don't want to do a homestay they will help you set up a room (or rooms) in a place nearby. I met some great people from all over the world there.
Be warned!!! The classes are pretty intensive with a good bit of homework. (There was for me anyway because I knew very little spanish at the time so had to look up just about every word.) They offer cooking classes, salsa dancing class, tours, and might even take you out on the public bus (at the Heredia campus) to teach you how to use it.

sparklegem

Suzie,
That sounds great! Did you have a favorite campus?
Thank You,
Gem

Suzie2

I enjoyed each one for what it was. They are so different. Just depends on what you want for your experience.

sparklegem

Thank you for your help!
Best Regards,
Gem

sparklegem

Dear Suzie,
I am having a difficult time trying to choose between the three locations. Would you mind sharing what your experiences were like at each?

The children's class schedule are about the same at all three locations. I was wondering which area would offer the most interesting activities for my daughter to enjoy. We will be spending 9 nights, before or after, in Santa Theresa.

Thank you so much!
Gem

Suzie2

I will give you a little run down on each. Flamingo, a very pretty beach and not crowded at all. The reason it is not crowded is that there really isn't much in Flamingo. There are a couple of nice places to stay and eat and lots of tours such as snorkeling, turtle watching, originate from there as well as fishing because there is a big marina. A casino also. Playa Conchal where Paradisus Playa Conchal Resort is is about 30 minutes south. It is a public beach and very pretty. Most people from the school end up staying in Potrero. Even smaller. The beach there is nice also. Lots of monkeys on the road between the two places. A beautiful campus with its own pool. Can be very hot here but it always cooled down at night so I was never uncomfortable sleeping.
Heredia.. The school is actually in a little town about a 15min bus ride away. Amazing walk to school for me with views of the mountains and never a day went by that there wasn't a rainbow to see. Enjoyed walking by the town center where the futbol field was and the church. Heredia itself is a busy place with a University, central market, lots of stores etc. Also easy to get into San Jose where you can go to the museums. weather is central valley cool (average in the 60's-70's).
Monteverde, lots and lots of things to do up here. Serpentarium, horseback riding, two different places for canopy tours, 3 different reserves, butterfly farm, Finca Ecologica to hike in, artisans, cheese factory, homemade ice cream. weather can be unpredictable. Could go as low as the 50's or into the upper 70's. Could be sunny, rainy, windy.
The teachers were all very nice and the classes were small. In Flamingo and Monteverde I ended up basically having private lessons because I was the only one in the class. I was a beginner student. The other classes all seemed to be full. The schools themselves were all nice although the Heredia campus did seem a little older. All were very clean with pretty gardens.
A "snack" is served mid morning which is more like a full meal.
I did homestays in Flamingo and Heredia. In Monteverde I stayed at a little Pension right by the road to the Butterfly farm. It was called Pension Manakin. I had my own private room and bath with a private balcony for $20 per night. It was within walking distance to the school and right across from the Hotel Heliconia where I had wonderful pizza several times. Breakfast was included in the room rate.
Hope this helped.

sparklegem

Suzie,

Thank you so much!! All your information helps immensely!

I am leaning toward Monteverde. We will have time at the beach in Santa Theresa and Monteverde sounds really fun. Did you bring warmer clothing, rain gear and some type of boots for Monteverde? We will be traveling in February and are trying to travel very lightly.

How did you like your home stays? Pension Manakin looks very nice. Would you suggest that over a home stay for us?

Thank you again!!!
Gem