Spanish in Nature

We were slightly nervous at sending our fourteen year old daughter somewhat into the unknown for the summer camp with Esther and Alvaro at Spanish in Nature, however, it turned out to be one of the best decisions we have ever made. From the initial enquiry stage, through booking, packing, arriving, the duration of the camp and even on our daughter’s return, Esther kept us fully informed and moreover continuously delighted and impressed by the opportunities and experiences that were on offer. Our daughter had the most incredible time being totally immersed in the Spanish language and culture as well as making new friends from around the world and having daily adventures in the beautiful location where the school is set. She returned to England rightly proud of herself with a huge improvement in her spoken and written Spanish. However, even more than that she has grown in confidence and maturity as a person from the wonderful experiences she has had. We also can’t thank her kind host family enough who along with their two children made her stay the most fun and happy as well as educational time. Our daughter is already trying to plan to attend again next year!

I booked a one week Spanish in Nature: Personal Teacher & Homestay program for my 16 year old son and I as part of a 15 day tour of Spain from Australia, relying solely on the effusive online reviews of Spanish in Nature's past students and parents. After spending a wonderful week with Esther, Alvaro and family in June 2019, I am happy to say that the reviews, superlatives and all, are genuine and accurate.

The teaching was perfectly tailored to our respective levels and expertly delivered by Alvaro as well as 2 wonderful, interesting and talented local professoras, Ana and Lucia on different days. A full 3 hours of language classes each morning (2 hours individually and 1 hour together, to allow for our different levels) were packed with interesting discussions and practical tips.

Of course the classes were only the tip of the iceberg - the whole experience was so much more. Esther and Alvaro's home is beautiful and comfortable, and their family always made us feel welcome and at home - sharing wonderful meals together, swimming in the pool and visiting local towns - like we were part of the family (just much slower in communicating in Spanish!). We also had our own space if and when we needed it.

They always showed patience, generosity and kindness in looking after us, showing us around, visiting a range of interesting historical and other attractions both nearby and further afield including Segovia and central Madrid, all the while conversing with us in Spanish (helping out where necessary) about our experiences, Spain, history, culture, food, music, each other and the world.

A first rate language and cultural immersion experience which I highly recommend.

Spanish in Nature offers more than simply a well-crafted linguistic immersion program, it opens the door to the daily life of a Spanish family with real people willing to share a little bit of their intimacy. The experience engages us, the guests, not only at the intellectual level, but also at a deeper level. I was constantly invited to react, respond and share, which led to a rapid increase in fluency.
From the start, it is obvious that Esther and Alvaro have put a lot of thought and dedication into the program. All the elements are there to create the perfect experience – the nearby mountain range for hiking, a beautiful home with comfortable rooms, the well-appointed classroom, the delicious food eaten with the family, the well-planned activities, the easy pick-up and drop-off at the airport, etc.
With Alvaro and Laura as teachers, I was able to focus on my specific needs, deepening my understanding of the Spanish grammar and my grasp of the language. Both are excellent teachers who used various tools to make learning enjoyable – from cards to songs to comedy skits. My fluency in Spanish increased tremendously in a week. In fact, shortly after the course, I was able to conduct a 10 minute telephone conversation with a native Spanish speaker I did not know, almost seamlessly.
Spending a week at the home of Esther and Alvaro was one of the highlights of the year.

My son went for the first time in the summer of 2018 and now he is going back for February Half term. He had so much fun and learnt so much, this trip made him grow and develop in more ways than just learning a language. Easter and Anna the host family were wonderful and kept me up to date with my sons progress and his general mood. I was very impressed and felt very proud of my son. this program helps them not just to learn a managed but to understand it and the culture behind it. My son made many friends around the world and felt like he truly had a second home while there and still talks about his host family today as they meant so much to him. I couldn't be more thankful to them all for making my sons experience one to remember. I would highly recommend this school and will continue to send my son in future years.

To put my review in context I am a 34 year old man, working in finance in London. Prior to staying with Spanish in Nature (Esther & Alvaro) I was studying on an evening course twice a week in London and had just completed 60 hours of classroom lessons at the time I flew out to them (October 2018). 60 hours sounds like a lot but for me it was just enough to have some very very basic knowledge of Spanish with very little spoken Spanish. Being an older student I was a bit nervous about what to expect. Having returned a couple of weeks ago I can honestly say that it was one of the best experiences of my life not only for learning the language but also to have spent time with an amazing family and to have also learnt about Spanish culture and been able to experience different afternoons out in places I never would have seen in my life. From the moment you arrive every second is in Spanish. Being pretty new to the language it probably took my brain a day or two to start fully absorbing the words and phrases and to start committing them to memory. However you soon find yourself keen to speak and ask questions and have normal every day conversations that you’re never going to get in a classroom. My studying was tailored to my level of Spanish and I felt like the pace and the things that I learned were just the right amount for me. My tutor Alícia came to the house every morning for a few hours and we had classroom based lessons. She’s an excellent teacher and knows just how to structure the lessons to your specific level, I was very impressed. After the lesson I would then do a quick bit of homework, then we’d sit down for lunch and talk in Spanish about every day things. After lunch for the afternoon I was then fortunate to go hiking with Alvaro and/or Esther, into Madrid to see the city, or to go see flamenco or into Segovia. The days flew by and I was genuinely very sad to leave them after a week as very much felt part of their family, they are wonderful people and their children also engage with you over dinner to help you learn. The one regret for me is that I only stayed for one week. I think to really accelerate your learning, two weeks minimum is better as when you return you find yourself answering questions in Spanish or just wanting to speak it every second. I can’t recommend Spanish in Nature enough, they are excellent and I’m hoping to return next year to learn more and spend time with them all! If anyone has any questions I’m happy if you want to reach out to me but I promise you will not be disappointed at all :)