Program Reviews

My husband, myself, and our 11-year old son participated in classes at Casco Antiguo. Everyone we encountered at the school was friendly, helpful and created a great environment for us all. Our teacher kept the class interesting by teaching, including games, and taking us into the community for real practice. We are all beginner Spanish speakers, but Casco made us feel very comfortable. We also participated in the free activities of salsa dancing and the bike tour. The bike tour around the Costa Cintera was beautiful. Casco Antiguo Spanish School helped us fall in love with Panama! We plan to return to Panama and will definitely visit Casco Antiguo Spanish School when we do! I highly recommend Casco Antiguo for your Spanish learning needs.

Casco Spanish School provided a unique opportunity for our middle schoolers to spend 7 weeks learning Spanish from a native speaker. The entire staff is friendly and encouraging - it was a wonderful intro to the Spanish language. The school worked with us to schedule lessons that fit our schedule. We also appreciated how helpful the school was in providing recommendations for places to see during our stay in Panamá. A special thanks to Carlos and Tricia for making this experience so memorable. Communication with Tricia was fast and easy, and she was very accommodating when we had schedule change requests.

My son had a great time.  In a short period of time he was able to make short conversations and give some proper answers to common questions.  He enjoyed it and would love to go back.  I highly recommend it. Teachers and management are really friendly and ready to accommodate us based on our needs. School is located in one of the most beautiful areas of Panama city and you can feel pretty safe walking around.  We don't use the accommodation service, so my opinion is not valid on this point. If you have the time, give the chance to this experience

I took private lessons and mini group sessions over the course of several weeks and they were super helpful! It was easy to schedule and coordinate with staff and the lessons were flexible so we could focus on what we needed to be able to communicate (renting a car and traveling around the country). The regularly scheduled happy hours are super fun too! Kiki was the BEST, and he helped us with info that enabled us to go see the sloths that we wanted to see :) Highly recommend if you're looking for flexible and affordable lessons.

Great experience for my daughter. The school was very accommodating and responsive. I appreciate the fact that the learning style was a combination of classroom learning and then applying the concepts to the real world by adventuring out and about. There were opportunities for my daughter to have both group and 1:1 classes which I also found very beneficial. The 6 week immersion period definitely gave her the boost that she needed. Location of the school is in Old Panama which is perfect! Highly recommend the school!

I spent two and a half weeks in Panama this summer and of that time I spent one week learning Spanish at Casco Antiguo Spanish School. As a Norwegian teacher of English myself, it was both inspiring and a lot of fun to be in the student seat again😊 My teacher Silka was a fun and enthusiastic teacher, my class was also observed by another Panamanian who was training to become a Spanish teacher himself I believe. This allowed for a lot of varied group work in class where we often were playing games in teams of two where one student would mime a word to his or her team mate and the team mate would try to guess the word. After just one week of classes, I feel that my "entiende"(understanding) has improved quite a bit. I particularly liked the extra-curricular activities after class in the afternoon where I was both taught a beginner's class in salsa and taken for a scenic bike ride around Cinta Costera. I definitely recommend taking a course at Casco Antiguo Spanish School, just make sure that you stay for a few extra days after so you can practice your skills as you immerse yourself in this beautiful country and its beautiful people👌

I had a great experience with the school. Small class sizes and patient instructors. They really create an extremely welcoming family like atmosphere.

I spent the first week of an extended mission trip to Panama refreshing on some old high school Spanish skills that I had not used in 20 years. Tricia from the school was very easy to communicate and coordinate with via WhatsApp and email before I arrived in country. They really go out of their way to be a complete resource for people traveling in Panama. The welcome email included useful tips on transportation and local tipping culture.

They provided an online placement test to try and get me in the right class. They started me at a pretty basic level based on my results. My instructor asked if I wanted to move to a higher level by break time of the first day. I didn't change right away, but I let Tricia know after the end of the first day and they easily accommodated moving me to a higher level starting with day 2. They seem to have a basic lesson plan, but my instructor was willing to go a little off plan to answer any of my questions. With only limited time available, I felt like I was able to get a really good refresher. Classes included getting out and walking around the neighborhood to practice.

My wife was pretty much starting from scratch with Spanish and she had a very good experience with her beginner lessons as well. One week is obviously not enough to go from novice to fluent Spanish speaker, but she found it very helpful to practice hearing and understanding basic vocabulary.

They also have evening activities in the area and will help link you up with other local activities. Circumstances did not allow me to participate in the extracurricular activities, but I think it is a great service and I definitely would participate if I did not have other commitments.

I would definitely recommend Casco Antiquo Spanish School to anyone in Panama looking to improve their Spanish skills.

This was my first time taking an intensive Spanish course, and I had a great experience in Casco Viejo. From my initial contact with the school, everything was well organized and clear. I was able to arrange a homestay for the duration of my time, which was a great way to continue to practice Spanish and a very welcoming environment. The classes were well organized, and my group of 3 blended very well together despite spanning 3 different decades.

As a solo traveler, the activities after class (happy hour, salsa class, bike riding, and beach volleyball) were a great way to meet other travelers and continuing practicing my Spanish. One of my favorite parts about the class was how it embedded the history of Panama through museums and other outings. I felt as though I came away with a strong appreciation for the history of the Panama Canal to say the least. Additionally, I enjoyed the incorporation of other Latin American countries through different songs that we listened to and learned about in class. Overall, I would highly recommend this program.

I had the best time learning Spanish at Casco Antiguo Spanish school. The class was structured well, and the teachers, Hector and JJ, were enthusiastic and very helpful. They pushed us to learn but were always happy to answer our questions. I took an intensive course for two weeks with four hours of class each day. There were 3 students in the class. I thought four hours would seem a long time, but time just flew by. We learned sentence structures, grammar, and vocabulary through games and conversations. We had three field trips where we had the opportunity to communicate with the locals who were so friendly. I am definitely more confident communicating in Spanish now. Also, they provided ‘after-school’ free activities: bike tours, salsa classes, beach volleyball, and happy hour at one of the rooftop bars in Casco. These were always fun.

What impressed me most is when they said that they are your host for your trip to Panama, they meant it. David (the owner) and Tricia made sure my burner phone worked since my regular one was not compatible with the local SIM card. When I mentioned that this was my first time using Uber, they made sure the experience went smoothly. They arranged a homestay with the nicest lady, Ana Gloria, who went out of her way to make sure I had an enjoyable stay in Panama. The school also arranged for Roberto, to pick me up on arrival and drive me back to the airport on departure. Everyone in the school was friendly and helpful.

I was worried about traveling solo, but I am glad I did. Panamanians are the nicest people. Learning at the Casco Antiguo School was an amazing experience, and I would recommend it to anyone considering an immersion program in Spanish. If I had an opportunity, I would love to return to Casco Antiguo Spanish School and further my Spanish skills.

My intermediate level Spanish class (small intensive, 3 students, 4 hours per day for 5 days) with Javier Villa was fantastic. Rather than simply forcing us into a template, it was obvious that Javier had taken the time to review our placement exams and immediately started with material that was appropriate at our level. Javier made a point of mixing outside activities, like a local scavenger hunt and a short tour of the Canal Museum, with the classroom language learning exercises, such as short reading and comprehension exercises and musical exercises for listening comprehension. I'm an American whose Spanish is largely self-taught - I found the class very engaging, interesting, and challenging. I'd highly recommend this class during an extended visit to Panama as a very useful tool for improving your Latin American Spanish skills.