Learn Spanish, Dance & Culture - 1 to 4 weeks

Excellent way to experience Cuba in a very friendly atmosphere. I stayed two weeks in Havana and one in Trinidad. Intensive Spanish courses in the mornings, salsa classes and city tours in the afternoon. Leo and his team's contribution to such a well-structured atmosphere for intercultural dialogue is amazing. I have met wonderful fellow students from all over the world, age range was 20-70. The extra weekend tour to Vinales is also highly recommended. The school's atmosphere is very cosy and it is just at the very center of Old Havana.

I spent a week with the "Lean spanish, clulture and volunterr" program -- it was very organized from being picked up at the airport to being oriented to my housing. I greatly appreciated the assistance with the currency exchange. The teacher was knowledgeable and fun in teaching Spanish -- helped in making it fun and be more conversational vs focus on grammer. The additional activities -- I requested were wonderful . The Vinales trip was great and the activities planned were beyond my expectation. Leonel the director was easy to reach if there were a problem/question. All the people incovled in the program were great from the security guard at the school to the cook and the young man who helped carry luggage up the stairs. I can't say enough good things about how wonderful everyone was. I hope to be able to visit again!

I just had the most magical 9 days with Corazon Cuba. The Spanish teachers are so smart--they are great educators who know exactly how assess your skills and build from where you are. The staff is incredible--creating a safe, clean, fun environment. There is round-the-clock security, regular cleaning, air conditioning, laundry service, bottled water and incredible food from in-house chefs. The staff is always available for needs, questions, advice and help---they take you to get SIM cards, get a VPN, help you change money, find anything you are looking for, make sure you pay reasonable prices, feel like a local--plus they are so nice and fun and soon become family. The program is structured and organized and every experience and lesson offered is high quality and meaningful--but you also have as much free or alone time as you want. The location is perfect in Habana Vieja--safe, walkable to shops, restaurants, music, museums, the Malecón, and more--it is a very cool building with multiple levels and roof decks with great views. They have apartments down the street if you'd rather not share a room. Although I am on the older side, I decided to stay in the main house and share a room and I'm so glad I did--the fellow students were amazing--from everywhere--Germany, Sweden, Italy, Norway and even my hometown in Colorado. We bonded and will be life long friends. It's like camp! I just can't say enough good things about the program. Everything was perfect; every day was great. Magic is the only way I can describe it. They really have created a very special community here and I can't wait to get back.

This was a great experience overall! My goal was to practice Spanish as much as possible and this was easily reached thanks to the great staff of the school and friendly Cubans around. You do feel at home!

As September is a low season, I was alone in my Spanish class which was more of an advantage in the end as the topics were tailored to my needs and interests. The lessons included all types of activity: grammar, speaking, listening, and the most valuable - immersion into the Cuban culture. Daivy, the teacher, was eager to share her personal stories, everyday routine and aspirations. It was not just a standard teacher-student interaction, but friendly conversations about everything. We still keep in touch!

I was supposed to have a shared room, but as there were few people I had it all for myself😉 Even though I was warned that there could be hot water and electricity problems in Old Habana, nothing of the kind happened during my stay. The place is clean, nice and really authentic! From the balcony you can see the street with all its night life and daytime events. The food was good as well. Even though the variety of products is limited, the cooks Miguelito and Tania managed to satisfy all the needs, both vegetarian and not. I had a chance to try some fruits that I have never eaten before. There was always somebody of the staff around. Aylin has answers to all your questions during the daytime and Kidsue and Arkeli keep you company at night as night guards.

In the afternoon I had salsa classes and excursions. The dance classes were great even though I'm a really poor dancer and remain such in spite of the teachers' efforts.They were attentive and understanding. Even if you have no experience in salsa, you will still enjoy this activity. The only downside was that every class I had a new teacher. Somehow they managed to understand from where to continue and my experience seems rather smooth in general. The excursions were informative and my guides, Laritza and Jose, added a great personal touch to the history of Old Havana with their own stories.

The school manager Leonel is just charming. He does his best to make sure that everyone is happy. Despite the fact that he has lots of work to do, he is always available. The pre-trip email support from Tim was indispensable as well.

Old Havana is a safe place even if it does not seem so from the first sight. It may happen that some seller will cheat on you charging more money or will sell you fake cigars, but no violence occurred in my presence. I had no health issues, but do take all the medicine with you. There is a lack of it in Cuba. You can share it with the locals when leaving. Besides, I would recommend to bring fewer personal things and more donativos.

It was my first trip outside of Europe and by myself. I'm currently 28 years old and I never took a time off to travel and discover the world. This year I decided to travel to Cuba. My cousin went to Cuba three years ago and told me about the wonderful experience she had. I searched the internet for organizations that offer dance, culture, language and also volunteering and came across Corazon Cuba. Everything about the program appealed to me and the program seemed to include exactly what I wanted to experience in my three weeks. Which finally also proved to be true.La Habana or Cuba in general is completely the opposite of Switzerland, the country I'm from. I enjoyed the freedom and the warmth that was shown to me by all the locals and surprisingly by the tourists too. Can't be done, doesn't exist. Improvisation is on the agenda and no day is like the other. I could really live three weeks in the moment and enjoy every second without thinking about the next one. I have never lived so stress-free and relaxed as during these three weeks. I have met wonderful people from all over the world with whom I want to stay in contact. But more importantly, I have learned to know and love myself in a whole new way. I have made important decisions for my future life and realized what is really important to me in life. It was almost a bit of a "soul
journey" or retreat for me. And I fell in love with Cuba: its culture, its music, its flora and fauna…. simply everything. The hosts were fantastic. I felt like I was at home, although as I said, I have never traveled alone before and have never been outside of Europe. They welcomed me like a family member and they did this with all the residents. I found the stay so wonderful that I will repeat it soon. Any question or uncertainty they were immediately there to support me. So l actually did not travel alone at any second. I wish I had planned more time so that I could still travel around Cuba with the organization. Every weekend I spent at the beach. The beach and the sea in Cuba were simply breathtakingly beautiful and little filled. In the evenings during the week and on weekends, the salsa clubs were my to go place. I have never experienced so much emotion, passion and fire as at these salsa parties.
Furthermore in the house we often spent time together and I enjoyed this very much.
Cuba is a country where you can't do nothing by yourself, so don‘t be shy to ask the hosts for help, they are really happy to help. Everything is a bit more difficult and hidden, but it's even more fun when you've accomplished something. Don't be overwhelmed by the many impressions on the first day and connect with like-minded people so the start will be much easier. If you are willing to interact a lot you will get to know the country from all
facets and enjoy the most beautiful and free time of your life. My journey in Cuba had an extraordinary impact on my life, because I completely changed my professional development. I discovered a passion for traveling and learned that I don't need that much to live and be happy. I now have more self-confidence and dare to do much more in my everyday life at home. I also have become more relaxed. I‘m very grateful that the cuban people shared their country with me and I hope I left a positive Footprint there. I‘m sure I‘ll come back.

When I decided that I would like to travel to Cuba, I did not know where to start or what the best way to go about it was. Corazon Cuba presented the opportunity to live amongst a mix of people from all over the world, yet also spend lots of time with the most friendly Cubans who work in the casa and direct the programme. Lionel is so kind, helpful and lots of fun to be around, along with the rest of the team. I would recommend this if you are planning to go as a group and especially as an individual; primarily to feel secure in your travels and to minimise pre-travel anxieties but also to reside in a fun and culturally enriching environment. It made me a lot more confident during my time in Cuba and my time spent far more worthwhile. The programme involves Spanish classes in the morning (which feel more like a conversation about the culture & history of the country but en español) followed by an afternoon of salsa dance classes, which definitely came in handy on our nights out over there.

It was the perfect place for me to improve my Spanish; I was above basic level prior to coming, but not only do you receive grammar lessons, you are also immersed in the language from the moment you wake up to when your head hits the pillow! A few of my friends had little to no Spanish at all, yet left with the ability to have conversations with locals so do not let the language barrier put you off.

One thing I would say is to bring bug spray and antihistamines! I was quite prone to the bug bites and as Havana is a city, I underestimated how many I would unfortunately encounter :(

Cuba is the most culturally rich country I have ever visited, and Havana and the people of this city are beautiful, intelligent souls.