Arcos: Programs for Teens in Spain

This program is so fun and 100% worth it. Everything is taken care of by the program and, as a 17 year old traveling transatlantically alone, they made the entire experience of getting there and leaving really easy and not stressful. Everyone (ESPECIALLY Rocio and Marcell) is super nice and eager to help or answer any questions someone has. It’s really nice to have two great, knowledgeable, and unique people to help you get to know a foreign place, and who you can clearly tell want to be there and want to help.

My adventure with Arcos was once in a lifetime! The month was filled with fun excursions, educational information, and friends that I will keep in touch with for a long time! Marcell and Rocio made this trip so welcoming and informational. I will certainly be returning to a Granada in years to come. The nightlife in Granada was wonderful to experience, and there are many places for adventuring throughout the day! We went to the beaches and the mountains and many places in between, and oh boy did I like those places!

Our 15 year old daughter thoroughly enjoyed her three week Spanish immersion program in Granada, Spain. Arcos Journeys was communicative about her arrival, planned fun excursions for the kids, and provided safe home stays. It was the right amount of structure and independence for our daughter. She was able to walk or ride the bus around town and discover new things. She enjoyed going out for dinners and beach days with the group. Overall, we were very happy with the program and highly recommend Arcos!

Do not go to southern Spain in the summer in this program. What is not revealed on the website or in any other communications is that neither the school nor the homestay have air conditioning. Since the daily temperatures reach between 95 and 108 degrees and the apartment buildings retain that heat into the night, sleeping is miserable. My daughter was in a tiny room with another girl with no air conditioning or ventilation. The landlady took away the remote control for the one ceiling fan so they couldn't put it above the low setting or use it for too many hours as she was concerned about electricity use. My daughter actually fainted twice in the apartment during the first couple of days. The landlady also limited them to 3 minute showers each day--yes, 3 minutes! She would bang on the bathroom door if she thought they were using too much water. This was clearly just a boarding situation with the landlady's only concern being her profit and not the comfort or cultural experience of the students.

The local directors were kind and tried to make the excursions fun. However, there was a lot of free time and Granada is a small city with not much to do. The kids were not allowed to leave the city, so they did not get to explore any other cities even though they were there for 2 weeks. All of the excursions were day trips in the Granada area and it would have been nice to take some overnight trips to different cities.

My experience was so much fun! I had a school trip to Granada Spain and we had so much fun. My teachers were very good at informing me on interesting facts about the history of Granada. When we had Spanish classes closer to the end of the trip, our teacher was super friendly and I learned a lot from her lessons! Over all I would say this is a very fun trip and I would definitely suggest this to future students! I look forward to having more classes with Arcos in the future and seeing students having fun with it too!

My 16 year old son loved this program in Granada. The staff did a great job from the application prcess through to the return. Arcos has two programs in Granada, Spain--one that is a traditional language immersion program and one focused on outdoor exploration. My son chose the outdoor program ad he loved learning about Granada by hiking and biking in the Sierra Nevada, swimming in waterfalls and exploring caves. Granada is a safe city that allows teens to feel independent in a fun enviornment. I highly recommend this program!

My daughter (10th grade) said her trip to Granada, Spain was the best thing she has ever done (and she has done a lot!). She absolutely loved the experience. The culture was amazing in Granada, not what she ever could have realized from looking online - the history and beauty of the area was such an incredible gift. Activities such as flamenco dancing, a visit to the Arabic market, Arabic tearoom and Arabic baths, plus paella on the beach, the visit to the Alhambra palace, plus so much more are things she will never forget. The host family was positively wonderful and kind. Their apartment/home was welcoming and spacious. The classes at the school were appropriate, not overly difficult, very very helpful and enjoyable. She would go back in a heartbeat and go to school there if she could! We are thrilled with the care and comfort Acros provided all of the students in her group. The activities and safety and knowledge by the fantastic Acros staff was outstanding. Acros takes the time to ensure these trips are truly immersive and informative. Plus the independence of being on a trip away from 'parents' means the students get a chance to experience a trip like this in a whole different which completely improves their independence, curiosity and appreciation. I can't recommend this program enough!! If your student shows an openness and interest, don't hesitate - these are experiences they will always cherish and remember.

In general, my trip to Granada, Spain with Arcos was not only educational language and grammar wise, but also from a historical aspect. We had small amounts of time to explore the city on our own and get to know the local culture as well as time allocated for guided historical tours and activities, which felt like a decent balance. The teachers were all helpful and accommodating, and my host parent was also generally kind. The classes could feel long at times, as we would be sitting in one spot for over an hour straight, but the activities were all extremely unique and engaging, and definitely worked to assist me in advancing my Spanish-speaking skills further.