Learning Spanish in Costa Rica/Mexico
 

Our family of 5 (ages 13,11,& 2) are considering going to Latin America this summer for 2 weeks to learn Spanish. I've heard of immersion programs where you are in school for 1/2 the days during the week and of on weekends.
Any one been to one?

In my experience at several langauge schools you usually have a choice of how many hours a day you want to take. I usually choose 4 and, yes you are off on weekends. I have been to Insituto del Sol in Saltillo, Cuernavaca Language school, and Becari in Oaxaca. All are in Mexico. I like them all but like Becari best and have been there maybe 6 times. Oaxaca has had a lot of political trouble but it may be being resolved now. It will probably be fine by next summer. At all these schools I have done home stays and generally liked them. I have stayed with one particular family in Oaxaca three times. One thing I have learned about langauge schools is to pay as little as possible in advance. Not all schools suit all people and you need to give yourself the freedom to change if ones suits you better. I have seen this happen in Oaxaca with people moving around from the el Instituto Cultual to Becari and vice versa until they find the one they like best.

Check out this website if you want to search for schools by country and by city (take the ratings with a huge grain of salt, but the links are helpful):

www.123teachme.com

I'm heading back to Guatemala this summer to study (5th visit there over nearly 20 years) but haven't studied Spanish there before. Lots of people study in (and recommend) Antigua but there are so many English speakers there I wouldn't trust myself to stick with Spanish.

There are lots of schools in Mexico and some in Costa Rica, as well. From my research most are more expensive than the schools in other CA countries and rarely do they offer 1-on-1 instruction which seems to be standard in Guatemala and Honduras (some offer it for additional cost and often not during the summer months when I travel).

I had wonderful experiences with the following schools and their associated teachers and homestays in Honduras:

www.ca-spanish.com (Central Am. Spanish School)
www.ixbalanque.com (in Copán Ruinas)

The first has bases in La Ceiba (a small city near lots of excellent outdoor opportunities, excellent school and great homestays) and on Utila and Roatán (but no homestays and not good immersion environments - lots of English spoken).

Ixbalanque would be a fabulous place for a family to study and the town is lovely with interesting local attractions like great hiking, a butterfly farm, and a beautiful bird park.

Don't know if you'd consider Honduras - let me know if you have questions or would like to read my travelogues. Hope you find just what you're looking for and grace us with a report when you get back! Happy trails!

I did a language school with a homestay in San Jose, Costa Rica. The classes were good, except that there were only two of us in the class. Sharing the teacher with only one other (lower ability) student was annoying.

Also, I don't recommend San Jose. An ugly, polluted city, in my opinion. And the family I was put with was a nightmare. It doesn't sound like a homestay is what you're looking for, though.

I would recommend more colonial cities like Antigua, Guatemala or Oaxaca. Also check into Guadalajara, Guanajuato and Cuernavaca.

Just a comment about homestays. Langauge schools want your time with them to be a good experience and it has been for me- except one time with a creepy family. If the family is bad news go to the school director, tell them and ask to be placed elsewhere.

My family and I (children 12 and 9)attended Montana Linda in Orosi Costa Rica. We thought the classes were great and we had a wonderful homestay family with children of similar ages.