Spanish Express Reviews

I stayed with Mónica as part of the Spanish Homestay Immersion Program (SHIP) in Ciutadella de Menorca this December, and it was a wonderful experience. I’m from Texas and love nature and the countryside, and Menorca in winter was absolutely perfect.

Mónica made me feel welcome from the very first day. Living with her allowed me to practise Spanish naturally through daily conversations, shared meals, and everyday life. I loved walking along the Camí de Cavalls, which was incredibly peaceful in winter, and visiting the beaches, which were quiet and beautifully untouched.

The food was amazing—traditional Menorcan dishes made at home with fresh ingredients—and sharing meals together was one of my favourite parts of the experience. What I appreciated most was the calmness of the island, especially in December, which made learning Spanish relaxed and enjoyable.

Staying with Mónica turned this programme into a truly authentic and meaningful immersion. I highly recommend SHIP, especially for anyone who values nature, culture, and a warm homestay environment.

We had an absolutely fantastic time with Pilar Martinez at her homestay in Gilet, Valencia. We cannot begin to describe the wonderful times we shared together and the amazing experiences we had that surpassed our expectations. Read more below!

To begin with, we're two children from Kenya of Indian ethnicity, and Pilar catered perfectly to our strictly vegetarian diet by making us various vegetarian meals from different cuisines and even treating us to a meal outside the house. We had some of the best food during our 2-week stay, from homemade vegetable paella, patatas bravas, tacos, and even churros! We
We even got to share meals with Pilar's family, including Christmas eve dinner, allowing us to converse in Spanish with multiple people and stretch our learning further.

Beyond this, Pilar's home was comfortable and catered to our every needs, having radiators in the rooms for the chilly winter weather, and a perfect fireplace to warm the home during our lessons. The kitchen was well-fitted with anything we needed if we were craving a quick bite. The beds were comfortable and the bathroom was modern and had a very hot shower!

We came for this immersion course with the aim to better our Spanish all-round, and prepare for our IB Diploma Programme and Middle Years Programme final exams. Pilar helped us achieve exactly this, with personalized one-on-one and group classes between the two of us, aimed at mastering grammar, verbs, and working on practice exams. Furthermore, speaking Spanish constantly for 2 weeks with our teacher automatically improved our Spanish listening and speaking skills, while helping us pick up vocabulary throughout the day.

Moving to the excursions, we got the opportunity to explore several surrounding historical sites and tourist sites within Valencia as well. Pilar's house is perfectly situated in the hillsides of Gilet, allowing me to go on blissful nature walks and hikes with ease, finding stunning trails in every direction and catching beautiful views of the surrounding areas from nearby hilltops. This was a perfect experience for me; as a avid hiker and nature-lover from Kenya. We also visited the local Roman castles of Sagunto, a wonderful archeological site where we were fascinated by the 2,000 year old Roman castle complex.

Within Valencia, we explored lots of historical and tourist sites both on foot, and during a bicycle city-tour by Pilar, such as Torre de Miguelette, Valencia Beach, and a lot of important city and religious buildings. We were super fascinated by the rich cultural and historical background of Valencia, including Roman, Islamic, and Christian rule and several fierce conquerings of the city.

One of our favorite visits was definitely the Museum of Arts and Sciences in Valencia. We spent 4 hours taking in the fascinating exhibits on Leonardo Da Vinci, Spain's noble prize winners, space, and anatomy. Definitely a must do!

Besides all these wonderful experiences, spending time with Pilar was absolutely wonderful. We talked for hours about absolutely anything, and spent quality time all while conversing in Spanish. She is super-welcoming, friendly, caring, and kind throughout our stay and always had a smile! She took wonderful care of us and made sure we were always comfortable and enjoying. She was super flexible and let us choose what we wanted to do with our stay, while maintaining the main goal to learn Spanish.

We would definitely do this again, and would highly recommend this to anyone looking for an authentic Spanish immersion course while also seeking new thrilling experiences in Valencia! Thank you to Monica and the team at Spanish Express for making this a seamless and simple process for us and providing guidance at every step along the way.

I spent an unforgettable week with Mónica in Ciutadella, the old capital of Menorca, as part of her Spanish homestay immersion program, and I cannot recommend it highly enough. Visiting in November, I wasn’t sure what to expect, as Menorca is often seen as a summer, beach-focused destination. What I discovered instead was an island full of culture, history, nature, and authenticity.

Mónica’s homestay immersion is, without a doubt, one of the most effective and enjoyable ways to learn or improve Spanish. Staying in the teacher’s home creates a natural learning environment where the language becomes part of everyday life. I am a native English speaker and also speak Italian, which helped me with Spanish, but what truly made the difference was Mónica’s unique teaching approach.

She has a very special way of teaching without you even realising that you are constantly learning. Lessons never feel forced or academic. A large part of the learning happens naturally through cultural visits, shared meals, conversations, and long walks discovering hidden and beautiful corners of Menorca. Language learning is seamlessly woven into real experiences, making it both effective and deeply enjoyable.

For anyone who loves nature, art, music, and food, this program offers the perfect balance between learning Spanish and truly connecting with Menorcan culture. It is a complete immersion experience that goes far beyond traditional language classes.

This homestay with Mónica is ideal for anyone who wants to improve their Spanish in a relaxed, authentic, and inspiring environment while experiencing the true soul of Menorca.

We completed a two-week Spanish Homestay Immersion Program in Menorca in November as a couple and found it to be a very focused and rewarding experience. Living in the teacher’s home created constant exposure to Spanish, making learning feel practical rather than academic.

What we appreciated most was how the language learning was naturally connected to cultural visits. Spending time in Ciutadella old town, visiting the Museo Numa, exploring the Naveta des Tudons, and walking sections of the Camí de Cavalls gave us opportunities to practise Spanish while learning about Menorca’s history and landscapes.

The pace was calm, the teaching personalised, and the home environment comfortable and welcoming. By the end of the week, we felt more confident using Spanish in everyday conversations. A great choice for couples looking for meaningful immersion without a classroom feel.

We joined the Spanish Homestay Immersion Program as a family of four with our two daughters, aged 16 and 18, travelling in October, and spent one week in Dosrius near Barcelona followed by one week in Menorca. Staying in our host teacher Mónica’s home made Spanish part of everyday life and felt very natural for our teenagers.

In the Barcelona area, we explored Dosrius and nearby towns, as well as Barcelona city, including the Gothic Quarter, Las Ramblas, Park Güell and the Sagrada Familia, which gave our daughters many chances to practise Spanish in real situations.

In Menorca, what we enjoyed most was the balance between history and everyday island life. Visiting Ciutadella old town, Museo Can Saura, the Naveta des Tudons, Mahón (the capital), and watching the sunset at Faro d’Artruix were real highlights for us as a family.

The environment felt safe, structured and welcoming, and both girls left more confident and motivated to continue learning Spanish. This is an excellent immersion option for families with teenagers.

Hi I'm Paul from Ireland 68 years young. Just back from 2 weeks in Valencia (Gilet) with "Spanish Express" and my fabulous host/teacher Pilar. I had taken a week earlier in the year with "Spanish Express"in Cadiz with Oscar. Oscar recommended Pilar as a teacher for me in Valencia. Pilar met me in the airport and I felt immediately very relaxed in her company.The house is really nice and spacious. As it was winter time we had our classes indoors, but In the warmer weather you can have your classes on the terrace.

The classes were very engaging and we worked at a pace that suited my level of Spanish.Some days we would have classes in the morning and in the afternoon we would visit places of interest in the city.eg. The Cathedral, The Roman Ruins, The Central market(well worth a visit), The city of science's and art to mention but a few. Another night as part of the programme we went to a music recital in a beautiful theatre called the "Teatro Mercantil"I find the great thing about the immersion course is even when you are not having a formal lesson and you are out and about you are speaking Spanish so you are learning all the time.

Pilar is not just a great teacher but also a brilliant cook. The food that she produces is beautiful. At the end of my two weeks I can honestly say my confidence in speaking Spanish improved greatly. I am looking forward to going back in springtime. For me "Spanish Express"has been a very positive experience.

I had a wonderful experience participating in the Spanish Homestay Immersion Programme in Barcelona with Mónica during the two weeks before Christmas. It was a very special time, as I had the opportunity to experience Spanish and Catalan traditions in an authentic and meaningful way.

I stayed at Mónica’s home in Dosrius, where I helped her decorate the house for Christmas, which made me feel truly welcomed and part of the family. She also took me to the Christmas market in Mataró, which was absolutely lovely and full of festive atmosphere.

During my stay, I had many opportunities to practise Spanish—not only with Mónica, but also with her family, friends, and even people at the Christmas market. I also learned about unique Catalan Christmas traditions such as the Caganer and the Tió de Nadal, which were both fascinating and fun and gave me a deeper insight into local culture.

As someone who already has a B1 level, I was amazed by how much I could communicate and how much I learned in just two weeks with Mónica. The immersion experience was incredibly effective, enjoyable, and confidence-boosting. I would highly recommend this programme to anyone who wants to improve their Spanish while experiencing real Spanish life in Barcelona.

I enjoyed my stay in Valencia with Pilar. Pilar was a great host. The food was delicious, and the excursions were informative and fun.

Pilar taught the lessons in a way that suited me, and I learned a lot in one week. I learned many verbs and many phrases, and vocabulary. I did my homework every day, and the lessons were very helpful for everyday life. It made me keen to learn more. I will try and speak Spanish every day on my travels in Spain over the next few weeks. Then, when I return home to Australia.

It also made me enthusiastic to visit another Homestay in South America next year.

Thank you so much. Wendy Lowe

During the program, I not only received top quality organised lessons, helping me directly with my A level course, but also 3 weeks of full Spanish immersion. This immersion helped me improve the quality of my Spanish a lot, and helped my confidence speaking it by leaps and bounds. Other than learning the language, this course gave me the opportunity to make some new friends from all over the world, including France and the US. I was also able to participate in sport almost every day thanks to Pilar's daughter Esmeralda, who took me to a local cross fit gym. During the time I spent exercising there, I was again able to practise the language with many native speakers, helping me improve my listening skills and vocab, especially with more colloquial language. Pilar also kept us well fed with delicious home-cooked meals every day. A particular high light was the steaks she prepared perfectly for us. I am very grateful for being able to stay with Pilar and my new friends in Gilet, and I believe the time I spent there is going to help me greatly with my exams this year, and my future life communicating with Spanish speakers. ¡Muchas Gracias Pilar! Ojalá que pueda volver a tu casa muy pronto para aprender más.

My wife Joan and I enjoyed and benefitted greatly from a weeklong language immersion with Pilar Martinez of Spanish Express at her lovely home outside of Valencia. We are both retirees interested in recovering and building upon school Spanish to chat with friends from Latin America in their mother tongue and to enhance travel experiences in Spanish-speaking countries. We were looking for an in-country program that would get us off to a strong start but that would also provide more of a vacation than a school-like experience. Happily, we stumbled upon Spanish Express’s home immersion program whose combination of small group learning, daily excursions to cultural and historic sites, and continual interaction with an instructor outside of formal teaching offered just what we wanted.

Pilar did everything possible to make our experience a positive one. Before we arrived, she provided online lessons that helped us to relearn long-forgotten basic vocabulary and grammar. During the immersion, she connected formal language instruction to our personal interests, giving us added motivation to move forward. Our informal conversations with her (a mixture of English and Spanish at our level) over the delicious meals she prepared for us, as well on the daily excursions, provided further opportunities for learning. She was a warm and gracious host who made us feel at home.

There’s only so much one can accomplish in a week, but, at the very least, we emerged with confidence that we could eventually reach our goals for Spanish. To this end, we are continuing to study with Pilar through weekly online lessons.