Program Reviews

The Academia de Español in Costa Rica is an excellent language immersion program. I went twice to Nicoya (first in 2016, then in 2021) where I did a week long homestay and took classes each day. As a lawyer, I requested to focus on Legal Spanish and I did the extended class time. Priscilla was my main teacher and she is amazing. She's very accommodating if you have particular areas to work on and very knowledgeable. The Samara Beach program is also nice if you're looking for more of a vacation while you study. Personally I think you get more out of the homestay because you interact with the family as well and in Nicoya there isn't a lot of English spoken whereas since Samara is a beach town, English is more prevalent.

I first attended Academia de Español Nicoya in 2016 with Indiana University. The quality of instruction along with the immersion that I received was excellent! They have great teachers who make learning a new language fun!! The school matches you with the teacher that works best for your Spanish language immersion! Within the immersion experience is the important aspect of family homestays. These families welcome you and sincerely want to help in the process of Spanish language acquisition! They use the phrase Pura Vida (pure life) which truly defines the people of Costa Rica! I especially liked the conversational walking tours of Nicoya! Academia de Español is situated in the historic town of Nicoya, Costa Rica, an area known as the Guanacaste region. Not only is this a fantastic Spanish language immersion school but due to its location, there is much do and experience in this beautiful province. The school organizes day excursions to Palo Verde which is an immense national park of unique biodiversity and to the cultural village of Guatil where pottery is still created in the pre columbian way. Importantly, there are wonderful beach communities nearby where the school can organize overnight excursions to places like Samara and Tamarindo. My first experience in this special part of the world was so memorable that I returned this past summer 2021!

I recently completed a 4 week immersion program in Nicoya and I’m finally comfortably speaking Spanish! I started with online video classes with the tutor in early January – 2 classes/week. After 7 months, I then worked with the same tutor through the 4-week in-person program in Nicoya with the final week at Samara beach. What a great overall experience!!! My tutor, Pri, was incredible. I started the year with only the basics, barely able to speak. She has an incredible amount of patience as I built up my speed to normal speaking. The program included a review of all the basic rules of Spanish, then through a series of structured booklets, a significant amount of vocabulary building, reading stories, reading news, and an incredible amount of basic conversation. I highly recommend this school for anyone serious about finally getting conversational in Spanish. For me, taking online courses with the school ahead of the in-person immersion was helpful, but I think for someone more advanced, you can jump right into the immersion. I stayed at a family home next door - they were warm, wonderful, and patient with my Spanish, plus the home-cooked meals were amazing. My wife came for the 4th week and we enjoyed Samara beach.

I have been studying Spanish for 2 years with Cervantes from Spain in their Albuqerque, NM location. I decided I needed help and a jump start so I decided to attend an immersion class with Academia de Espanol Nicoya. I took the class located in Samara, Costa Rica. It was an excellent experience. It was a one on one class and the Professor was very good and helped me review and nail down material I should have mastered in the 2 years with Cervantes. I was so impressed I decided to quit the Hispanic Cultural Center of NM Cervantes school and take on-line classes with Academia de Espanol Nicoya. The Instructors are customizing my classes so that I am reviewing what I should have learned but did not learn through Cervantes. I enjoy the class and I really enjoy my Instructors. This was a good decision for me and I hope to return to Costa Rica for a longer period of time but the next time I will go to the school in Nicoya.

I first attended Academia de Español Nicoya in 2016 with Indiana University. The quality of instruction along with the immersion that I received was excellent! They have great teachers who make learning a new language fun!! The school matches you with the teacher that works best for your Spanish language immersion! Within the immersion experience is the important aspect of family homestays. These families welcome you and sincerely want to help in the process of Spanish language acquisition! They use the phrase Pura Vida (pure life) which truly defines the people of Costa Rica! I especially liked the conversational walking tours of Nicoya! Academia de Español is situated in the historic town of Nicoya, Costa Rica, an area known as the Guanacaste region. Not only is this a fantastic Spanish language immersion school but due to its location, there is much do and experience in this beautiful province. The school organizes day excursions to Palo Verde which is an immense national park of unique biodiversity and to the cultural village of Guatil where pottery is still created in the pre columbian way. Importantly, there are wonderful beach communities nearby where the school can organize overnight excursions to places like Samara and Tamarindo. My first experience in this special part of the world was so memorable that I returned this past summer 2021!

If you desire a truly immersive language and cultural experience, this is best value and experience for your money! At this school you will walk everywhere and interact with the local people (Ticos/Ticas) and have access to the cafes (La Tortilleria, Canela Azul, etc) market, stores and the town. You may walk to the Olympic Training Center and pay $2 a day to swim in the outdoor Olympic Pool or use other athletic facilities. Living with a family, interacting with the local people and walking everywhere will require you to use the Spanish you are learning. Your hosts will cook daily for you and the food is great from locally sourced providers. There are a variety of activities such as cooking, hike (Cerro De La Cruz), latin dance classes, a trip to the beach at Samara (where there is also a campus of this school) and other activities. You will hear the troupes of Howler monkeys in the morning and evening and if fortunate (as I was) when hiking. The school has breaks during the morning with cafe (coffee) and fresh fruit. Finally, and most important are the staff; Priscilla, Gary, Alberto and others. They are warm, professional, knowledgeable and want to ensure you have a wonderful immersive experience and learn the language. I have taken on-line courses via Skype of 18 months, 75% cheaper than what you will pay in the states where you will pay, at minimum, $50 and hour. This is an exceptional program where you may either start on-line or travel to Nicoya then return home and continue your study and practice of Spanish or vice versa. An excellent program in a wonderful location!