Program Reviews

I did not expect to get to learn Spanish through games as well as casual conversation. It was a pleasant surprise and I hope you continue to have more games! Caroly es lo mejor! Me encanta hablar con ella y la tarea era suficiente para mi nivel. I liked the activities I went to (Mae and the finca) but I wish there were more options, especially to other places. The chocolate farm was the best!

La segunda semana del programa, la profesora Merlyn fue maravillosa. Me gusta que las clases fueron muy conversacional y que ella no diera recomendaciones de cosas para practicar nuestra español afuera de la clase (por ejemplo, nuevas canciones, programas de la televisión, y películas). A veces deseaba que usáramos el libro mas. Me encanta la clases de cocina. Caroly es una maestra fantástica. Tambien Merlyn es un gran guía de tour. Deseaba que hubiera mas actividades. Mi familia es maravillosa! Hablamos en español cada día y la comida es riquísima. Mi mama Tica Annia es un gran cocinera y ella y Luis siempre me hicieron sentir comodo y parte de la familia

Marlyn was very engaging. She did not strictly follow the book. She would go off of whatever topics we were discussing. What I liked most about Marlyn is that she would always encourage me to converse with her in spanish. She made it very comfortable for me to practice my spanish. I had a lot of fun in her class and I can not believe how much I was able to learn and retain! The classes were very informal but it was fun to practice my spanish.
Very friendly staff always willing to help when you need it. They helped me rent a car and arranged transportations for all my trips.

Ania was amazing! She always wanted to please me and cook food that I like. I love that she did not speak English. I remember the first day I could not understand her at all. Now I am able to have a conversation with her. I am grateful for her hospitality.

The class was wonderful. I came to Costa Rica without any knowledge of Spanish. My instructor was able to evaluate the progress of the class and teach us according to our progress. She used games to help us learn the language which made learning more fun. She was also very flexible in accommodating our needs. The school was wonderful at organizing activities for us. They helped us rent a car when needed. They were so nice, helpful, and friendly. I highly recommend my hostfamily, Luis and Annia. They are such a sweet couple.

I am very happy with this program. I have loved having Merlyn as my teacher and learned alot especially since I was in class alone and it could be geared to my needs. Yo amo Spanglish y tiempo con otro gente. Estudiantes de ingles están interesante en viajando y muy interesante. The second week started with a lot of confusion on my part with Spanish. I was ready to give up on Tuesday but after writing out my frustrations for myself I turned a cornerand the rest of the week has been much better than I ever expected. It was the low before the high. Stick with it, it is/you are worth it. Better after Tuesday. I was very lost on Monday and Tuesday in class. I mentioned it to Caroly on Wednesday and she complimented my ability and then made it more clear which is really all I needed.

Caroly encouraged myself and my classmate to engage in class activities. Always open to answering my questions, and was always willing to explain in another way if i did not understand. We got through alot of content throughout the week and we were able to this in a very interactive way.

Yes she made the class one by always incooperating different games in which we able to practice vocabulary, pronoms and putting sentences together using both forms of the past tense. I can finally say I have a much better idea how to use both past tense now.

This week I had a great time participating in the cooking class, where I was able to participate hands on as well as practicing my spanish. Food was delicious. I was able to participate in a music class, which was also a lot of fun.

I always have lots of questions in terms buses, directions around liberia, or about meeting new poeple. Everyone has always been very helpful.
My Tico family experiece has been great, always offered 3 meals, house is always clean, I also get my own privacy. I am lucky because I erally get to improve my spanish there because we only speak spanish and its great.

I really enjoy the Spanish immersion classes because they are always challenging and never boring. My teacher uses all kinds of different methods. During the classes, I read some things, and I watch and listen to videos and then we talk about those and lots of other things. Almost every week there are interactive lessons where I read an article and then have to answer questions about it. For homework, I also read articles and then write about what the author says in the articles. Up until a few months ago, I didn't know how to express my opinions in Spanish very well at all, other than to say that I liked something or didn't like it. But to be able to say that I found something interesting or puzzling or whatever, and then explain why, has been great. So basically, I get a really well rounded experience of talking, reading, listening and then writing. In the last few months, I really feel like my ability to speak Spanish has definitely increased, and my confidence has for sure.

My last week was great. My brain was really tired but I know that I have improved so much since my arrival. I can not only speak complete sentences but carry on long conversations. There was a lot of fun activities this week .... both organized at the school and organized by Bethany. Both Merlyn and Caroly are such great teachers and have a lot of patience with the students. I have loved my time and would definitely recommend to anyone. I had Merlyn for my second time this week and she was great. She gave us a lot of homework but it was doable. She was flexible and more concentrated on conversation which is great practice. She always asked us what we wanted to talk about or things to share with the class. This week was fun. I liked the movie and the hand gestures class. Sometimes it is hard to stay for the whole class, especially if there are other activities/tours for the day. But it has been great. I HIGHLY recommend the chocolate farm and sloth tour. I´m very thankful that Bethany went out of her way to coordinate. It was well worth it. She answered all of my questions and made sure I had a great trip. Johnny and Iris are great. They only talk to me in Spanish and are so accomodating. I love their family and Im so glad that I got the opportunity to stay with them.

My wife and I had the pleasure of taking classes at Estelar in Liberia, Costa Rica in 2018. Liberia is the perfect location for exploring the beautiful National Parks and beaches of Costa Rica. The Spanish coordinator, Bethany Kirk, did an excellent job helping us coordinate various weekend adventures. She was able to help us coordinate transportation and lodging anytime we needed it.

As far as the classes are concerned, I could not imagine a more effective way of learning Spanish. The classes were fun and engaging, and the teachers were all excellent instructors. The classes were really small (2-4 people), which was great because it forced me to practice my conversation skills. In addition, Bethany had different activities planned for us during the weekdays, such as going to the farmer's market, touring a local coffee plantation, and volunteering at a non-profit organization called Club A. All of these activities not only helped us practice our Spanish, but they also helped us immerse ourselves in the Costa Rican culture.

All in all, we couldn't be happier with our experience at Instituto Estelar! I would highly recommend this school to anyone looking to improve their Spanish skills!

For the past several months, I've been taking Skype Spanish classes with Walter, and I really enjoy them because they are always challenging and never boring. He uses all kinds of different methods, and I get a really well rounded experience of conversation, reading, listening and then writing in the classes. Every week, I read some things, and I watch and listen to videos and then we talk about what I've read and heard, and we talk about lots of other things too. There are interactive lessons where I answer specific questions which helps a lot with comprehension. For homework, I read articles then write about how I feel about what the author said in the article. Before starting these Skype lessons, I didn't know how to express my opinions or how I felt about something in Spanish very well at all, other than to say that I liked something or didn't like it. Now, my vocabulary has increased a lot and I'm able to say that I found something interesting or puzzling or whatever, and then explain why. It's Great! In the last few months, I know that my oral and written comprehension level has definitely increased. And I am able to communicate much more clearly than I was before. I have a lot more confidence now too. These classes have truly been a blessing to me, because I am passionate about Spanish...I absolutely love it, and having the opportunity to work with some who is very talented and knows how to teach well, is just awesome. I can highly recommend this school and Walter.

I did a 1 week Spanish immersion course at this institute. I really enjoyed my experience. I learned a lot of new vocabulary and I also learned about the culture in Guanacaste. It was very conversational which was great because I find that a lot of Spanish programs offer more writing and reading than listening and speaking. The course even included a cooking class. We made picadillo and it was delicious. I recommend this program to anyone looking to learn Spanish!