Spanish school for one week for middle-aged solo female
 

Hi--

I really want to work on my Spanish. I can carry on a very, very basic conversation, but that's it. I know exactly what I am looking for in a school, but I need a few pointers on narrowing down the zillions of options out there. I am not interested in a big, modern city like Panama City. I'm looking at schools in Mexico or Central America, not South America.

1. The only time I can do this is mid March, and I can only make a short trip, so I can only attend one week of classes. Where can I go where I will not absolutely die of the heat in mid-March? I know that is the hottest time of the year in parts of Central America. I would like to do a homestay and know A/C won't be a possibility.

2. Because of my time constraints, I want a place that is relatively hassle-free to get to. In other words, a place where I can hire a service to pick me up and drive me from the airport or just take one connection on an easy-to-connect with nice bus? Since I am a middle-age female who would be traveling alone, safety is also an issue.

3. I know a lot about learning theory, and I know exactly what I am looking for as far as methodology. I want to focus on oral communication--grammar exercises can come later. A place that is creative and uses visits around town, for example, as a teaching tool for conversation is exactly what I am looking for.

Does anyone have any pointers? I've looked at the 123 whatever it is website already. I'm looking for some first-hand advice. While I do not want to throw money away, cost is not my first concern. (But, I will be eliminating certain places if the airfares there are much higher than other similar places for the timeframe I need to go in.) I understand that most schools in Mexico offer group classes, and I think I could probably get a lot more out of one-on-one. What have your experience been? Thanks for the thoughts.

I'm no expert on Spanish schools but Puerto Vallarta has some and is a nice destination in March. It is not the hottest time of the year there (summer months are). It's a very comfortable city for a female solo (i've done it many times). There's a post on this topic over on the PV forum at Trip Advisor recently.

Cozumel is both easy to get to and wonderfully safe. Would not be too hot in March. Lots of quaint places to stay and great food.

Spanish classes.
http://www.cozumelinsider.com/SPANISHCLASSES

Excellent small hotel near town.
http://www.haciendasanmiguel.com/

I think I'd go for someplace like Guatemala. We really liked Antigua, and it probably wouldn't be overly hot since it's fairly high altitude. When we were there in late 2007, my husband actually said he would consider coming back to take lessons sometime.

I have strong opinions about this - I posted a response to your Thorntree post. Happy trails!

Hi, julies -

Are there any courses that suit your needs in San Cristobal de las Casas? It sounds like it might suit your needs.

I decided to repost my TT response here in case others are interested:

2 places I've loved spring to mind:

1) The Cooperativa school in San Pedro La Laguna, Atitlan, Guatemala - beautiful garden setting viewing the lake, great teachers, accommodating homestays, safe, quiet community, $150+/- for a week including activities and homestay/meals (no meals on Sundays). The school could arrange a shuttle to pick you up at the airport and it's a gorgeous 2-3 hour drive to the lake. The highland climate is spring-like year round, cool evenings and mornings, sunny nice days but not too hot. www.cooperativeschoolsanpedro.com

2) The Ixbalanque school in Copan Ruinas, Honduras - nice new school building, good people, lovely town with the beautiful Copan ruins and lots of hiking and interesting day trips close. Cost is $210+/- for a week including at least one excursion and homestay/meals. If your flight arrives at SAP (San Pedro Sula) mid day (common) you can catch a 1st class Hedman Alas bus shuttle from the airport, transfer to a Hedman bus heading to Copan, and the school folks will meet you at the station. Copan would be warmer than highland Guatemala but I haven't suffered there, even studying in the summer months.
www.ixbalanque.com

I count the directors of these schools as special friends so please tell them "hi" from Stacey if you contact them.

Antigua has many excellent schools, a great climate, and is easy to get to from the airport. My son studied at the Academia Antiguena and was extremely pleased; I'm heading there this summer for a week (followed by a week at the Cooperativa school) with a group in tow. Cost is +/-$200 depending on hours and homestay options and the school provides airport pick-up for $35.

PS I agree totally about 1-on-1 instruction. You can check out www.guatemala365.com for more reviews, though it's not a complete list of Guatemala schools.

Lots of photos and travelogues and blogs linked below. Let me know if there's more I can do to help. Please keep us posted!

http://flickr.com/photos/staceyholeman/collections

Highly recommend http://www.baden-powell.com/index.php
In Morelia one of Mexico's cleanest attractive cities.

Thanks so much to all of you. We recently returned from a nearly two week trip to Nicaragua (I hope to put a trip report together in the next week or so), and this really prompted me to want to increase my language skills.

I am busy checking out all of your suggestions. It is complicated to figure out because I am am thinking about climate, am much older than the typical young person many of these schools seem to attract, and because I am looking for a specific type of learning environment. Then, to top it all off, I have to factor in which places have reasonable airfares for my dates. Thanks again.

For what it's worth, I'm in my 50's and have traveled to both of the schools I name with groups in tow - lots of middle aged educators in the mix. If you decide on Guatemala or Honduras, let me know as I can help with transportation logistics.

Sorry - I don't have updated recommendations for schools (would have in my previous life), but I second Antigua as a terrific location. Morelia is delightful as well.

For less expensive, easier travel also check out the colonial cities in Mexico (Guanajuato, San Miguel de Allende, Puebla). Oaxaca is harder to get to, but would be a wonderful compromise between Mexico and Guatemala. The weather in all those places will be fine in March.

For a week's experience, rather than one-on-one, you will probably learn more and have more fun in a group class of 4 people or less, assuming the other students are on your level and share your motivation. These classes are less exhausting and afternoon activities usually involve "living language lab" situations - trips to markets, etc.

The right homestay will greatly enhance your progress, especially if you are in a "gringoized" place like San Miguel and force yourself to not speak English all week.

I learned Spanish in Cuernavaca years ago when it was the language learning capital of Mexico. There are still many great schools there, but Cuernavaca is now a huge city (but with a GREAT climate).

Several years ago I spent a week at a Spanish language school in Cuernavca. I, too, traveled in March. During the week I was there the weather in Cuernavaca was quite warm, though not quite hot. I couldn't imagine being there in the summer months.

I highly recommend having a one-on-one class. I spent far too much practicing material that was way under or over my head. Trust me on this... Pay the extra money for the private class.

One of the true delights of 1-on-1 instruction in my opinion is that you can make it as hard core or as light and entertaining as you want. You don't have to rely on other class members having similar vocabulary, intelligence, and learning styles, and you can ask for breaks or physical activities as you need them. I lead groups of educators to language school experiences and would love to visit Mexico but have yet to find a budget-friendly place with 1-on-1 instruction in the busy summer months. Happy trails!

A little follow-up.

Extremely high airfare price to Tuztla eliminates San Cristobel de las Casas.

Morelia is out for the same reason.

Cozumel doesn't seem to be quite what I am looking for.

Now I need to investigate schools and the difficulty of getting to one of the colonial cities in Mexico.

I'm also going to check out the TA thread on Puerto Vallerta, but here I am a bit concerned that this might be a super gringoized place. On the other hand, I might be able to find a cheap charter flight there because there are lots of them out of the frozen tundra (Minneapolis) where I live.

Airfares, interestingly enough, to Guatemala are much, much more reasonable than the Mexican ones I mentioned.

Even though I wonder about Antigua being too touristy, the right airfarre might make this an attractive place.

Stacey (AKA hopefulist) the place in San Pedro looks super interesting, with affordable airfare and prices. My only concern is that the school's own website says March and April are considered the summer months there, and the temperatures are quite high. Just how high this is I'll have to do a little more investigating.

Once again, thanks to all.

They must say "hot" because they think that's what people want to hear. Average highs are in the 70's year round on Atitlán; for March the charts say average high is 77 and average low is 58. Here's a link for the weather averages in Panajachel, just across the lake:
http://www.panajachel.com/links.htm

julies,

I would go to Antigua in a heartbeat over any of the Mexican cities I suggested, especially since you can get a good deal on the airfare. Haven't been there in a while, but I can't imagine that it is too touristy (or any more touristy than the Mexican colonial cities.) It is arguably the most charming city in Central America.

And hopefulist is correct about the climate - delightful in March.

hopefulist,

I think julies was referring to the climate in Honduras, not Guatemala.

I spent a month in Oaxaca at the Instituto Cultural de Oaxaca. Great! I'm not a city person, but I loved this place. Excellent teachers. The one I had, has taught there over 10 years. Sounds like many have teachers that come and go.

Crosscheck - Julies named San Pedro so I assumed she meant the Cooperativa school in San Pedro La Laguna that I mentioned in my post, above; I checked their website and found the climate reference. The Honduras school I recommended to her is the Ixbalanque school in Copán Ruinas (but you fly into San Pedro Sula).

If I were going to Morelia, I'd fly to Mexico City and take the bus (4 hours). Airfares to Mexico City are often very cheap. So I wouldn't exclude Morelia.

I have very positive feelings about Zacatecas, and I know it's possible to study Spanish there, but don't know which schools. If going to Zacatecas again, I'd fly to either Mexico City or Leon and take the bus.

I studied at Montana Linda, in Orosi, Costa Rica twice and really like it. It's a small town which is a good place to just hang out and talk to the locals. The school arranges homestays and we really enjoyed the family we were placed with.

Great thread - bookmarking.

Julies-

All good ideas here. I have done several of the schools being discussed.

suggest you might additionally contact langlink.com and have a personal conversation with them about your "learning profile" and see what they might recommend. I have been to their schools six (6) times and they have always been a great asset to me and have helped my skills grow.

Personally, I would stay away from "over-gringoed"locations.

Hi nonstop--

Can you tell me which of the schools being discussed you've been to and what your thoughts about them are?

I have done the langlink.com schools in Mexico in Cuernavaca and Oaxaca, Costa Rica in Heredia, Guatemala in Antigua, The "Activo" and the Anaconda jungle program in Ecuador.

I was EXACTLY where you were when I started looking for a school... EXACTLY.

The advantage of Lanklink is they can walk you through what they think may be best for you. They will set up your transportation for you in practically all cases(as will most schools). They have helped me "stairstep" my learning over the last couple of years.

No, I don't work for langlink or receive any personal benefit from recommending them and yes, I have also gone to other schools outside their network and there are certainly plenty of good ones out there. I have friends that have used them and all have been very pleased. Just my 2 centavos.

I highly recommend a great new school that recently started up in Catarina (one of the pueblos blancos above Laguna de Apoyo). It is called Spanish School Catarina (http://spanishschoolcatarina.com/) and is run by two very experienced Nicaraguan spanish teachers.

I have been to two spanish schools in Guatemala, one in Mexico, and one in Nicaragua. The teachers at Spanish School Catarina are without a doubt the best I have ever had, and are humble, friendly, and all around amazing people. The prices are great, they offer an above average variety of activities, and are truly committed to ensuring every student has a great experience.

I could go on for hours about how great I think the school is, but I think you get the point!

Nancy

Noted - thanks for posting!

P.S. Your post added the last ")" to the link and doesn't work so here it is again: http://spanishschoolcatarina.com/

Great thread. I keep thinking I will do this, and a few years ago had done quite a bit of research, settling on Quito. I hope you will post on your final decision, and they again after your experience!

Maybe this will prompt me to finally do this.

I hope you do, Toucan2 - I have loved every Spanish immersion experience I've had over the last 5 years and love the planning in between. I take a group someplace to study every summer in case you care to join me some year. Happy trails!

has anyone done this in San Miguel de Allende?

Knowing nonstop's extensive language school experiences, any suggestion he makes should serve you well!

That said, I have enjoyed CPI, Centro Panamericano de Idiomas, in Costa Rica twice. I always attend in the summer, which has some drawbacks (age of students being one), but the school is well managed, with heavy emphasis on vocabulary and verbs, and has an excellent staff. The location is easy, main campus is in San Joaquin de Flores, not a lot of English spoken there. It is close to the airport, 20 min., and close to the very interesting cultural town of Heredia. The town of San Joaquin is safe in which to walk around, easy to navigate on your own, etc.

My primary reason for recommending this school is the lovely family who have hosted both myself and my daughter on a number of occasions. Delsy and Victor Espinoza-Aguilar are just the best, both in their early 70's, with an extensive family nearby, all very helpful, polite, and fun to be around. I was their first student back in 2003, but they've had lots of experience since then! You can request a family, such as this one, based upon such a referral.

There are a LOT of good options out there. Every experience is, of course, unique. I wish you well in your choice and your experience. It's an awesome thing to do!

By the way, the Orosi area mentioned by Heather49 is a beautiful area of the country, a couple of hours from the airport, more in the country.

I might be interested in that down the road hopefulist!

I enjoyed studying on my own (and truthfully I can preserve the immersion factor better traveling sola) but traveling with a group in tow is wonderful, too. I've met some really interesting, fun people that way. I'm heading the last week-end in June 2010 for San Cristóbal de las Casas if anyone out there is interested (probably most of you already know that). It will be my 1st visit to México.

I have another question for this knowledgeable group...I'd like to go to spanish immersion school for a week in february..with my husband. He does not want to go to school but would tag along if I could find someplace near the ocean. Any suggestions for schools not in the middle of a gringoized city? We're thinking Mexico/Central American..not South America...I'd love any comments. Thanks!

EJ, I met someone who went to school in Merida. That seems like it should work for you.

You can search on www.123teachme.com , but take the ratings with a grain of salt. I've attended sister schools on Utila and in La Ceiba, Honduras and study on Roatán is also available. Not much immersion factor on the islands but, if you're husband is with you, you won't have much of that anyway. Here's the link for the Central American Spanish School with bases in those places: www.ca-spanish.com . Keep us posted!

Normally I would recommend Becari in Oaxaca. I won't this time, because as you noted it could be really hot. March and April are the hottest months of the year in OAX. I would look for altitude and further north to be a bit cooler. I don't particularly like Cuernavaca, but its packed with schools and tourism is down so much you can dictate what you want from a a school. Puebla is another thought as they have direct flight flights into there from the US as does Gunajuato into BJX which would be another possibility. In a pedagogical sense a week is a really short time. If you can possibly get more time it would be good. Likewise I don't think you should abandon all grammar. You can't use the tenses is you don't learn them. I think you will do the best with a balance between conversation and grammar. Have fun wherever you end up.

ejklionsky--try CPI (Centro Panamericano Instituto) in Costa Rica. They have a school in Playa Flamingo and you can stay at a lovely little resort near a nice beach. My husband and I went there two years ago and he did not attend classes the week we were at PF. We both took classes the previous week during our stay in Monteverde. The school plans great excursions as well.

We're going to the school Se Habla in La Paz (Baja, Mexico several hours north of Cabo). Anyone heard of it? Staying north of the city on a beach. Any must-dos in La Paz?

Have a great time and please post a trip report!