Program Reviews

The highlights of this school are their dedicated teachers. Partly they did much more than necessary: Alex of Boquete introduced me e.g. to his family and friends and we spent a wonderful weekend together which enabled me to get an insight into local family life.
I also stayed with host families and had the chance to see a couple of different host families (because I changed locations and also through other students). All of them were dedicated and warm hearted, however, the standard (also the level of conversation, if you are an advanced Spanish speaker) differs. Some families really live in very basic conditions others not. If you are not satisfied, it might be worth to ask for a change. The difference between what a student pays (for accommodation at host families or classes) and what the families and teachers receive seems quite unfair, even when you take into account that the school has expenses for renting the location etc. and I can compare it to other schools that I have been to.
However, I would come again because the dedication of teachers and other staff as well as the warm hearted reception by the host families (in spite of the little money that they receive by the schools) was outstanding.

I studied at habla ya for 3 weeks and I had Lineth as my teacher. I was very happy that I could study with her for the whole free weeks. Lineth is a very great teacher. I learned a lot during the 3 weeks and the lessons never got boring with her. She doesn't just use the book during class, we also did a lot of talking, played games and so on. Like that i could improve my spanish a lot. It was also great that there were not many other people in my class, for 2 weeks we were 2 and one week I was alone. I would definitely love to go back to habla ya to study with Lineth!
I also liked Boca del Toro. There are many nice beaches to go to and very good restaurants which are quite cheap. Unfortunately, it has been raining a lot when I was there but I still had a great time.

A friend and I took a course with Iraida. It was excellent, and it moved at the perfect pace for my current level of Spanish. Iraida and all the staff were very accommodating, knowledgeable and friendly. I recommend taking one of their courses if you are ever in Bocas!!! We took a B2 Level series and worked on all of the tenses at one point or another. We focused on the last 7-8 tenses and worked on the subjunctive. It is empowering to have knowledge of all the tenses and to have the ability to use new lesser used terms (some local) for day to day activities. Iraida was very flexible, particularly when we had to miss a lesson. We were allowed to reschedule to make up the time we missed. If you come to Bocas, taking a course here is an excellent way to immerse yourself in the culture here. You will be able to immediately apply what you learn in the class when you leave the campus. ---------------------------------

I visited the Language School Hablaya four weeks in August 2018 and absolved a part of A2 and the full part of B1.

I had three weeks classes with Iraida and one week with Jessica.

Both are very patient and helpful when you have Problems with a theme.

The atmosphere in Class was really nice and it was a joy to learn.

The Classes are really various , its funny to play Scrabble in Spanish but also to read specific texts about various themes.

The Freetime was also nice I got to know the different Isles, did some Fiestas and tried new sports like Yoga.

The excursions were also nice like the Grave Tour were you could saw many bats or the visit of the Smithsonian Tropical Center.

I can recommend the language school to build or to improve your language Skills and Bocas is a beautiful place therefor.

I had a great time in Bocas at habla Ya with teachers who really care about you. My teacher in group class was Yesika in the first 2 weeks and Iraida in my other 2 weeks and Benita in privat class. If you want to enhance your spanish skills or you just want to learn a new language I highly recommend to go there. Class is usualy in the mornings, which is really nice, because you have a lot of time to explore the island(s) afterwards.

My spanish course at Habla Ya Bocas del Toro was all together a very good experience. Everyone, especially Iraida, my teacher, was lovely and very helpful. Iraida was very attentive to each students’ needs and used a pace that was very helpful. Every day of class was so much fun.
The atmosphere at Habla Ya was very good. The lessons are from 08.00h-12.00h so you have enough time to enjoy the day at the islands.

I live in Costa Rica, struggling with my limited Spanish, and a friend recommended Habla Ya in Boquete, Panama as an alternative to some of the more expensive alternatives locally.

I contacted Habla Ya and they quickly make arrangements to accommodate my need for private classes at their school in Boquete. I chose 30 hour a week private lessons and full immersion with a Panamanian Family for three weeks. The staff at the school took care of everything including finding the family, directions for getting to David from the border, and transport from David to Boquete.

Once at the school they quickly put me to work with my instructor Alex Cano, and his associates. During my first lunch break, they transported me to my host family's house, introduced me to my new "roommate" and let me drop off my luggage.

Habla Ya uses a brilliant technique of daily lessons along with constant practice, daily and hourly. After my 2nd class I was not allowed to use English at all anymore which forces you to start thinking in Spanish immediately. An average class would consist of greetings and conversational speaking about your day and previous night. The instructors pretty much let you talk about anything you want as long as it's in Spanish. If you break into your mother tongue, the instructor will quickly move you back towards the lesson or prompt you to change languages. So there was constant pressure to stay "on point" but you had plenty of freedom and encouragement to talk about anything you wanted. But they were happy to engage with you on any topic.

The class would end with some sort of homework which generally was based on the lessons for the day.

At the end of the day (which was about 3pm local time for me) you were allowed to continue using the wifi or school facilities for as long as the place was open. There were plenty of restaurants, stores, tourist attractions, and markets within easy walking distance (including a modern public library). Reception would help me with anything I needed from finding coconut oil to taking a tour of the local volcano, Baru.

The host family in Boquete consisted of an elderly lady who rented out space to among others, her son and his wife. She was nice, cooked me two meals a day and regularly engaged me in conversation (especially at meal time)….oh yeah and she also did my laundry.

Boquete itself, is beautiful. The air is fresh and sometimes cool but everything is within easy walking distance and taxi's are very inexpensive (less than a dollar for places in and around Boquete itself).

I would definitely recommend the school for any aspiring to learn Spanish. It was a wonderful experience that improved my Spanish dramatically. Thanks to Alex and the entire staff at Habla Ya Boquete!!!

Boquete and Bocas were great places to visit. Lots of fun activities to keep one busy. The school was awesome. My two teachers were terrific Leidys and Benita. They made learning fun! Would likely recommend the area and the teachers!! I did white water rafting in Boquete that was an absolute blast. The rapids were fierce and there were plenty of them. Need to be in decent shape to do this trek. Also did zip lining which was a lot of fun. My family in Boquete was great. They only spoke Spanish which was perfect because it forced me to have to speak the language. My family in Bocas spoke English and although they were extremely nice and I enjoyed my stay, the next time I do immersion I'm going to require that they don't speak any English, it's better that way because it forces me to speak the language.

I will never forget my experience at HablaYa in Bocas Del Toro. Iraida was my teacher for 3 weeks and now I call her my friend! I took the beginner group course for grammar/conversation, and private tutoring for medical terminology. Iraida was so patient and planned each class very thoughtfully. She tailors her teaching methods to each individual and never seemed to mind repeating herself a few times before we understood what the task was. I don't know how she didn't get frustrated haha but she is a very good teacher. You can tell she is passionate about sharing her language and culture. Before I came to Bocas, I could not say more than "Hola, Que paso, Me llamo Chelsea" , y ahora puedo hablar con mi amigos en espanol! My goal was to be able to have a conversation for at least 30 minutes in Spanish, and I am very happy with my progress. The only regret I have is that I was not able to stay longer. I hope to visit HablaYa again and recommend this school to everyone!

I attended Habla Ya in Boquete for three weeks. Alex was my Spanish teacher. He is extremely knowledgeable. He is an excellent teacher. He challenged me and encouraged me to improve each day. I looked forward to coming to his class. He was fun and engaging. He explained things and gave great examples so that I could understand things clearly. Alex has a huge heart and a passion for teaching. My experience at Habla Ya was fantastic!