Spanish Immersion Program for Adults and Families

I needed a language refresher and Agualivar was truly wonderful. The classes were really helpful and tailored to my level, and the teachers were fantastic. They went over things I needed to re-learn, and facilitated lots of practice. Also, there was full immersion, which was great. The school is in a family home that is very comfortable. You get your own room and bathroom, and there is a pool with an amazing view of the sea, so you feel a bit like you're in a resort. The food is great as well. I would definitely go back and would highly recommend it to anyone looking to improve their Spanish with great people in a lovely location.

This is my first "home-stay" Spanish Immersion experience. I loved that there is not only classroom time, but also meals together, excursions together, fun games to play to help you learn Spanish. You live in the house with the instructors, Fani & Eli, and their sweet mother Carmen. They are so kind, warm and welcoming. Fani & Eli started the school in 2014. They are excellent teachers and you can tell that they are dedicated to their work, and they love what they do. They were also very patient and helpful when I had trouble with a particular part of Spanish. There is a low student to teacher ratio, with no more than 4 students in the program at any one time, and always 2 instructors. I was there 2 weeks. The first week there were 3 students total, and my second week it was just me. So no matter what, there is always opportunity for very personalized attention to help you learn. If you are looking for a home stay program in Spain, I highly recommend Agualivar.

A great learning experience, with lessons tailored to your individual skill level, in a beautiful area outside of the central urban Malaga. They not only do a great job of gauging your skill level before your arrival in order to have the best types of lessons based on your abilities, but they also do this well in creating small group classes if there are other guests in order to have some classes together and other classes solo depending on who else is there that week. There are never more than three students staying at once, which guarantees a very personal experience. Also, such kind people and they do a great job of having fun and engaging excursions to nearby areas!

Agualivar Spanish School is the perfect place both academically and socially to do a Spanish language immersion. You join a family in a beautiful home on a small farm overlooking the Mediterranean. Fani and Eli, the two teachers, assess your Spanish ability and goals before your immersion and tailor a curriculum for you to be delivered in a small group. They take care to design the cohorts of students and adjust as you go. There is an excellent mix of formal instruction and other learning activities, including constant conversation over excellent home cooked meals, excursions with a guide from a local tour company to give you the opportunity to speak with another individual in Spanish, dinner out together, and excursions and activities that meet the interests and abilities of the students. I wanted to swim in the Mediterranean, and they made sure I got to do this even though it was cold by their standards! An educator myself, I found the curriculum to be very well designed. The atmosphere is amazing—you are empowered to speak Spanish in a welcoming place. You are speaking Spanish from 8:30 AM to about 9 PM. Speaking Spanish has been a goal for a long time. I took 4 semesters of university level of Spanish as an adult and then about 15 years of life got in the way of an immersion. I had forgotten so much! 5 weeks at Agualivar helped me get to a place where I now can communicate and continue my journey of learning Spanish in reciprocal language programs and other classes at a much higher level and with more confidence. I was able to travel on the weekends during my stay and use my Spanish to communicate. Once I learn more on my own, I will go back for more! On the more practical side, the house is amazing. The rooms are spacious and have private bathrooms. The food is delicious and a lot of it is source from the farm. Seafood comes from the daily catch at a local fish market. You can walk to local villages and to the Alsa bus stop to travel up and down the coast or to Malaga to get a train or another bus to further distances. The bus station and the train station in Malaga are across the street from each other. Either Fani or Eli stays overnight at the house, so there is a native speaker and support present if an emergency arises. I am not too experienced as an international traveler and felt very comfortable and supported at the school and traveling on my own or with other students during my stay. Overall, this is an experience that you will cherish every minute of!

If you have not reached out to find out Agualivar school availability you should! What an experience! ¨Immersion¨ is a fantastic word describing time you are going to spend here. I only stayed one week and I wish I stayed longer, because the changes that happen to the Spanish speaking part of your brain are truly incredible. Of course studying the material actively is important but something that you will not find at a regular school is this magical atmosphere that is created by Eli, Fani and Carmen. Not only there are fantastic teachers and understand complexities of studying a foreign language but also all of them are terrific chefs! Most of the products that they use in their delicious cooking come from their land and 100% natural and organic! They pay great attention to all and any dietary needs you might have.
After one week here I definitely feel a greater confidence communicating in Spanish now and my motivation continue studying this language is even stronger after I got to experience the beauty of this culture in a family settings. I am planning my return trip to this place already.

Si no te has puesto en contacto para Agualivar disponibilidad de la escuela de Agualivar, ¡deberías hacerlo! ¡Qué experiencia! ¨Inmersión¨ es una palabra fantástica para describir el tiempo que vas a pasar aquí. Sólo me quedé una semana y desearía haberme quedado más tiempo, porque los cambios que se producen en la parte de mi cerebro que habla español son realmente increíbles. Por supuesto que estudiar el material activamente es importante pero algo que no encontrarás en una escuela normal es esta atmósfera mágica que crean Eli, Fani y Carmen. No sólo hay profesores fantásticos y entienden las complejidades de estudiar una lengua extranjera, sino que además todos ellos son unos chefs estupendos. ¡La mayoría de los productos que utilizan en su deliciosa cocina provienen de su tierra y son 100% naturales y orgánicos! Prestan gran atención a todas y cada una de las necesidades dietéticas que puedas tener.
Definitivamente siento una mayor confianza al comunicarme en español ahora y mi motivación para seguir estudiando este idioma es aún más fuerte después de haber podido experimentar la belleza de esta cultura en un entorno familiar. Ya estoy planeando mi viaje de regreso a este lugar.

I spent two weeks at Agualivar, and I can't imagine a better immersion experience. Eli and Fani are fantastic teachers! Lessons were tailored to my level, with plenty of personal attention. I learned so much and gained the confidence I needed to converse with people on my travels in Spain. The accommodations at Agualiver are beautiful and comfortable, and the food is amazing! We learned to cook Spanish dishes like paella and gazpacho. Plenty of fun and interesting excursions to nearby towns as well. I highly recommend Agualiver to anyone considering a Spanish immersion program. Thank you Eli, Fani and Carmen!

I spent two weeks at Agualiver school. This was by far the best learning experience I have ever had. The two teachers, Eli and Frany, were amazing. They both had the gift of clearly explaining concepts, providing plenty of review and being patient with my struggles to learn a language. I was safe to feel my frustrations and to keep moving through them. In addition to the fabulous instruction, each meal was a gourmet feast looking over the mediterranean and shared with spanish conversations. The school is also their home and they have an extensive garden/orchard that provides most of the veggies and fruit. In the afternoons we did excursions to close by towns with a spanish tour guide. And for me, as a cyclist, it was extra special to have beautiful hills behind the house to explore on the weekends. This was truly a unique and special experience. I hope to return and stay for additional weeks. Maybe next time I will write a review in spanish :)

Agualivar school was fabulous – a truly special place! Not only was it a place to improve my Spanish, but also to enjoy a complete experience.

Being a small school outside a large city, it may not be right for everyone. But for me, it was everything I was looking for.

First of all, the people. In a live-in school, this is a very important aspect, and there, the people were warm, friendly and welcoming. It was like being at home, because it is a home!

Second is the accommodation. In my opinion, it couldn’t have been better. The rooms are large with their own bathrooms, there’s a lot of space and the sea-view is spectacular!
Third is the food. Most was home-cooked, with lots of fruit from the estate. If you don’t like home-cooked food, this isn’t the place for you.

Last but not least, is the teaching. With a maximum of four students, the learning was almost individual with four teachers and other members of the family. Various forms of teaching are used, from formal lessons with homework, to table-games, and excursions to interesting places, beach bars and restaurants.

In summary, for me it was a wonderful and unforgettable experience. I would like to go back some day!