Program Reviews

We had five children study at Intercultura in the summer of 2015, ages 10-17. The school is well run and professional, and the staff is helpful, down to earth and friendly. The school has cooking, dance and language classes, and they take students on optional field trips. We had the girls go to school at the Heredia school, which we thought was a more authentic Tico experience. The school is located in a small city with all that a small city brings, and we wanted more focus on language than on beach activities. We rented our own house, so we can't speak to the housing or family arrangements, but we heard positive reviews from others. The Ticos in Heredia are friendly people, and they are not out to take advantage of tourists. We would consider sending our daughters back to the school. Pura vida!

I studied at Intercultura for 5 weeks in the Spring of 2016. I attended class at both the Heredia and Samara locations. The facilities at both schools were nicer than I would have expected. The school in Heredia has a beautiful courtyard that will make you want to spend all day on campus. There is complimentary coffee and tea all day, a clean kitchen to use, a dance studio, and plenty of good study areas for after class. The staff was competent, pleasant, and always eager to help in any way they could. They even helped me find a reputable physical therapist. Even the door man will brighten your day with his good humor. I learned more Spanish in the 5 weeks of classes than I ever could have imagined was possible. Although I'd like to take all the credit, I would have never had the opportunity to learn as much as I did without the clear instruction and patience of the professors. Class sizes were always small and there was lots of personal attention. Now that I am back in the United States, I still review my work books and pick up new vocabulary. Marcelo, the director, was very accommodating and always approachable to talk about any issues. Aside from being an excellent teacher, he keeps the school running like a well oiled machine. I always felt like both the students and professors were happy to be on campus and eager to learn or teach.

Heredia is a perfect setting for a language school. It is safe enough to walk around, there are excellent restaurants(and a central market), and plenty of opportunities to make friends with Costa Rican university students. Also, because Intercultura is an English and Spanish school, there are opportunities to do extremely helpful intercambios every day.

Samara is a different world than Heredia. In my opinion, it is one of the best beach towns in Costa Rica. It is still preserved from tourists and all of the negative externalities they bring to a small beach town. Everyone knows everyone, and the community is diverse in Samara. Intercultura quite literally could not be any closer to the beach. The campus is gorgeous with hammocks, outdoor showers, and lots of wildlife. The classrooms are the same as you will find in Heredia.

I did not have a host family in Heredia, but Intercultura provided me with a family in Samara. As if I didn't already feel at home on campus, my mama and papa tica went beyond the call of duty to open up their home to me. I ate a balanced breakfast and dinner everyday which was nourishing and healthy. The house was always clean. My mama tica did laundry everyday and changed the sheets often which is very important in Samara's hot and humid climate. Never once, did my family get frustrated at me for trying to speak Spanish. They supported me, corrected me, and were always willing to practice for as long as I wanted.

I wrote this thorough review for Intercultura because I want to give back something for all I learned at their schools. Furthermore, I hope others will choose Intercultura instead of making the mistake I did by registering for a different program; which cost me more and ultimately turned me over to Intercultura once I arrived because they couldn't place me at their school. Intercultura will accomodate their students, even if they have to run a group class with only one student. Pura vida!

I have never studied abroad before in my life, so getting the opportunity to go to Intercultura as my first experience was the greatest treat. The program was set up very wonderfully ! The teachers made the classes as much fun as possible with activities in the park, group improvisation, and games to improve our vocabulary and speaking skills. The weekend excursions were also amazing! I did so many new things that I will always remember. Getting to go zip-lining, rafting, and seeing monkeys all in one month? Can't beat that! Overall, I would do to this program every year if I had the time!

I enjoyed a wonderful two week immersion with the best teacher (Monica), and a welcoming family (Jeannette). Many activities: The Nutcracker ballet at the Teatro Nacional in San Jose, the capital. Two films at the San Jose International Film Festival 2015. Two cooking classes and an coffee planation tour. A weekend at the Parque de Nacional Manuel Antonio with parasailing, jet skis and surfing. And fascinating walks through the towns and cities. Plus I learned the verb endings for past tense and future tense!

Really enjoyed my host family. Mi professora was great. The staff were all very kind and helpful. I should have stayed longer.....only one week. The city is beautiful and very easy to get around. Only problem was if there is rain, you will get wet.

I recently attended the Intercultura Spanish language school in Heredia, Costa Rica. I chose to stay at a local hotel (Hotel Hojarascas) with a friend rather than choosing the homestay option. A brief interview with the school's director assessed my level of Spanish (basic intermediate) and I was assigned to a small class with two other students. The teacher was great, very professional, personable, and had a great sense of humor. There was plenty of opportunity to interact in the class with the other two students and the teacher, all in Spanish. There is an emphasis on learning correct grammar and much time was spent on conjugating verbs in the past and imperative tenses. And homework was assigned every night! And an exam at the end of the week. I will say that my Spanish did improve.
The school facility itself is attractive and comfortable and all staff are friendly and helpful. The school also offers extracurricular activities, and I did participate in a few. There was an enjoyable cooking class with a very interesting woman teaching the class. There are also salsa dance classes, yoga classes, and various tour opportunities. I especially liked the pretty courtyard settings where students could gather during breaks.
All in all, it was a good combination of learning and relaxation. I would recommend this program to anyone interested in learning Spanish.

The school is very well organized with a system that fits you to your level of Spanish. There are basically two types of students: younger (usually university level), often European; and older travelers wanting to be able to more fully appreciate Costa Rica. And to top it off Samara is a wonderful place to study: a town but also a beach. And with the alternating schedule--morning then afternoon--lots of time to enjoy the beach.

I spent two weeks in the Spanish immersion program this summer. I brought my mother-in-law, my 10-year-old daughter, and a 16-year-old friend of the family. We all stayed together in a house with a lovely, welcoming hostess. I took 4 hours per day of small group classes, the first week with 2 other students and the second with 4 others. The classes were very informative on both language and cultural aspects, and the teachers sharp, well prepared, and helpful. The administration was exceptionally helpful and friendly. The price for the schooling and the home-stay were very reasonable. The town is small but with good restaurants and enough fun things to do. The school offers weekend excursions which are outstanding - our group of 12 people from 6 countries, ranging in age from 10 to 70, went on unforgettable adventures one weekend to hot springs, a waterfall, a cloud forest night walk, zip-lining through the canopy, and more! I have previously done a Spanish immersion program in Guatemala, which was also excellent, but this was more social and better organized. One of the students did have a backpack stolen at a beach while I was there, so do follow the common sense guidelines for protecting yourself, which of course you must do everywhere in the world. I did not feel unsafe, even with my daughter. I didn't visit the Heredia campus at all, so I can't comment. I highly recommend Intercultura for learning Spanish and a bit of Tican culture. If you go, book an excursion early in your trip to make friends with other students quickly, and definitely do the homestay to have a more complete experience.

This school met all of our needs: flexible scheduling (private for me, group for my wife) to accommodate our kids, who attended Mareas School, just down the road; great location for beach fun with the kids (safer surf with minimal current for youngsters) while still allowing for surfing (at high tide) and SUP for the parents; great home stay and excursions; clean and lovely campus with AC in classrooms and hammocks, internet and shade outdoors; yoga; positive vibe and helpful teachers. We studied there for six weeks, learned plenty and met great travelers from around the world. Highly recommended!

I took a weeks' course at each of Intercultura's locations, and stayed in an apartment during my time in Samara Beach

The location of the school is fantastic – as soon as you leave the school gates you are stepping straight onto the sandy beach. The building is beautiful, and surrounded by a sprawling garden filled with hammocks. It’s also one of only two or so buildings in the town with air conditioning, which meant I looked forward to lessons all the more!

As mentioned in my review of Heredia, I particularly appreciated the way the curriculum was structured into one-week set programmes with an individual textbook. It’s a really great way to accommodate students who are constantly joining and departing each week, and ensures students aren’t placed in a group that has already been running for some time, or don’t end up repeating things to accommodate new students. I was happy with the quality of teaching and felt challenged by the lessons. Overall, the school in Samara felt ‘stricter’, with other languages discouraged even at break times and lessons more challenging. There were many more students studying Spanish here, and while there was a good mix of ages there were many more university-aged students making the average age lower.

Living standards in Samara are generally lower – facilities and accommodation are quite basic so you need to manage your expectations, but the reason you would choose this location is to enjoy rustic, simple living on a beautiful unspoilt beach.