Program Reviews

After researching Spanish language schools for nearly 6 months and making contact with a few, I found Na'atik to be the most responsive and safest option. They have staff from the area as well as from the USA and UK. It was helpful having both the ease of being totally understood when needed but the challenge of being immersed in the culture and language in classes and at the home stay. My family home was beautiful with my private room and bath. I had the option of sleeping in a hammock which is the area norm, or in a double bed. I was able to go on a few outings with our home stay family and got to meet the mom's precious grandparents. The school provided an outing to a lagoon for kayaking and a fun optional class for learning to make tortillas and juice. Both activities were led by Spanish speaking individuals who loved what they were doing. This was another fun opportunity to develop my language skills. Carrillo is a very friendly and safe town with a lovely plaza in the town center. I would recommend this program to those who like to be away from the city center and like to feel a warm connection to new people and culture.

I stayed in Felipe Carrillo Puerto in a homestay and studied with Naatik for 2 weeks. I had the experience of a lifetime and loved every second! Both the staff contacts (Layla and Poppy) were responsive, helpful, and accessible throughout the entire process. I loved the classes, which allowed for so much more individual attention than I ever received studying Spanish in the United States. It was very immersive, the town is not touristy at all but it is easy to travel to nearby locations such as Bacalar and Tulum. My homestay was amazing, and I even loved sleeping in a hammock every night! I had my own room and bathroom, and the family had two little dogs who were very friendly :) The central square is a great place to go and people-watch and drink agua fresca and the mercado has tiendas to buy gifts and food.

This is a great program for anyone serious about immersing themselves in Spanish and having a unique, wonderful experience! If possible, I would try to schedule a weekend into your trip to explore other nearby towns as well..but day trips after classes are also do-able.

I went for a month to Na'atik to study Spanish. I had an amazing time while I was there, and I definitely recommend Na'atik to anyone that is interested in learning Spanish and gaining knowledge of the Chican@/Mayan/Latin@/Mexican culture.

Homestay/Food: My homestay family was extremely welcoming, and they were extremely nice and good people. They made some amazing food dishes (accommodated my vegetarian diet for the summer) and their agua bebidas were TOO DIE FOR!!! They also taught me a lot about the life of the people in the town, and I gained a lot of the Spanish language just by practicing with them. I miss them a lot!

FCP: I am more of a city guy, but I enjoyed my time at FCP. It was a colorful and chill town, and it was centrally located to many other amazing spots (Valladolid, Chichen Itza, Tulum, Bacalar, etc.). The people are very warm and friendly, and I always felt safe there. If you do want a city feel, I would check out other programs, but I think you'll have a unique experience at FCP. Getting around by combis was extremely easy and cheap (like everything else in the town!!!).

Program: I wish I could have given a 16 instead of a 10 (1-10 scale) for the program and how well they accommodated me. Being the spoiled guy that I am (living in the Bay Area weather), I requested a change of my housing because I had a hard time sleeping at night without any AC and in the hot weather (still would spend time and eat with homestay family though). They were extremely responsive and found something for me, and I didn't have to pay that much extra. They also helped me find places to visit outside of the town, located acupuncture services, and made a lot of recommendations on how to improve my Spanish.

Classes: Irene is a great teacher and a valuable resource with a lot of knowledge about the Mexican culture. She accommodated my needs and was extremely receptive to any feedback or concerns that I have, so please let her know if you want anything in particular. She was really encouraging when I doubted myself and diagnosed what I needed to continue with after I returned to the States. She also helped me with understanding the town better and helped me buy guayaberas for myself, father, and a friend of mine! I can't thank her enough! Ask her about her tours to other parts within the Yucatan and Quintana Roo!

I definitely recommend Na'atik, and I think you'll have a great time as well!!!! :)

I am a 31-yr-old Spanish teacher from Michigan who just had the time of my life. I had studied in Mexico before, but in Mexico City, so this experience was much different--it was AT LEAST equally amazing if not more amazing. I loved the Riviera Maya! I was a little nervous before I went because I thought maybe I was too old, but there is a place for everyone at Na´atik of any age and any language level. I was treated like family by the administration, faculty, other students and my host family even though I was practically a stranger. I needed medical care while I was there and a fellow student and the school subdirector accompanied me to the doctor. It made it so much easier since my actual family could not be there. My medical care was quick and low-cost---I actually had a better experience there than I often do in the United States. The cultural immersion along with the academic program at Na´atik was incredibly valuable and fulfilling. If you are lucky enough to have Silvia as your teacher--you´re in for a treat! If you are debating on enrolling in this program, you should dive right in--you have nothing to worry about! I´ll be back!

My 17-year old daughter and I were down in Felipe Carrillo Puerto (FCP) for a week in early July. We are very nostalgic for it now, a month later! She had a homestay with a local family with three daughters and studied four hours daily at Na'atik. I was down for a week to do some work, staying in a beautiful apartment that the Na'atik staff set me up with and catching up with my daughter on occasion.

I highly recommend this program. First of all, the homestay was terrific. She had her own room with a hammock and bed (she ultimately ended up choosing the hammock most nights) and a private bathroom. The food was great. She played with the family's 11- and 5-year old daughters and was invited to join the family for a daughter's graduation. The homestay was about a block from the school, so she managed her own schedule getting there and back, and it was really convenient. Second, the instruction at the school was great. It was my daughter and an instructor, one-on-one, talking completely in Spanish and working on high-level grammar for hours every day. She says she learned a lot, and I certainly relied on her as my interpreter while we were there. The staff at Na'atik are immediately likable. We were so grateful to Poppy and Catherine for their accessibility and their great advice for activities (don't miss Bacalar or Muyil!). Finally, there is Felipe Carrillo Puerto itself -- a manageable small Mexican town filled with surprising juxtapositions of old and new. You'll see big beautiful houses with palapa huts next door. Children playing in the streets, using flip flops as bases. The town is easy to traverse by bike. Everything is crazy cheap. You can go to the Mercado and get unbelievably terrific tacos, with inputs like carne asada or cochinita pibil, for a dollar or two. You would be hard-pressed to spend $5 per person eating unbelievable Yucatecan food in town. We frequently ate at the Mercado and other taquerias and never got sick. The jungle is nearby, and it is truly birdwatcher's paradise there.

If you want a homestay, language immersion, and an amazing cultural experience, look no further. She would definitely do this again, and I, frankly, would be delighted to go back down and absorb the atmosphere in this charming town again.

This was a great experience for our family of 4 (including 2 kids, age 12 and 9). The Na'atik staff really went out of their way to make sure that we were all comfortable and had a great time throughout our stay. The kids' teachers were patient and fun and kept the Spanish lessons fun and interesting-- my youngest went to a market, to the town square, and out for games. My 12 year old's teacher taught "practical" Spanish using lyrics to songs to make the learning relevant for him. Our teacher was great, and mixed in some cultural education with the language learning. We thoroughly enjoyed our home stay and look forward to visiting our host family again. We would recommend this program without hesitation. Thanks Na'Atik!

It's hard to describe how fantastic the people at Na'atik are, but to put it this way: They're not your teachers, or your school, they're your friends. And that is what make all the difference.

Also, you get plenty of immersion from being in the local community, it's very reasonably priced, and the people of Felipe Carrillo Puerto are amazing. I had an amazing adventure every weekend.

It's better if you already have some grammar training before going, but I went with absolutely no Spanish background and was conversational by the end of my two months.

Studying at Na'atik was an experience I'll never forget! It was everything I'd hoped for in an immersion program. The staff was very supportive, and my teacher (Edwin) tailored my lessons to fit my level. My host family was very welcoming and I felt comfortable with them right away! The locals were happy to talk to me when I approached them, and I felt perfectly safe during my stay. I liked it so much, and learned SO much, that I'll be returning for a longer stay in just a few months!!!

Ma'alob k'iin!
I came to Carrillo to learn a little bit of Maya. I didn't expect to learn much in a week. But after an amazing time with my teacher (including a private trip to a Maya pueblito) and my host family (oh my god the tortillas! I'll never forget them) I was already picking out Maya words on the local radio station and able to ask a few questions of people I met. I have every intention of going back, and that doesn't seem too hard to do for the price. If you go for Maya though you need to know some Spanish already.
I gave 'fun' a 9 because of the way the question was worded. There isn't much of a social scene in Carrillo. (Apparently it's super expensive fpr restauranteurs to get permits because of how touristy the rest of Quintana Roo is.) If you wanna get drunk, go elsewhere. But I had a huge amount of fun, so maybe that's more criticism of the question than the program. That said, Naomi was one of my favorite tour guides. She gave this real sense of having as much fun and exploring as much as any of us, but at the same time I felt super safe and comfortable that she knew what she was doing.
The fact that the program costs go to help pay for English classes for young (and ridiculously cute) Carrillo residents certainly didn't hurt either.

After having considered other Mexico locations—like Merida, Oaxaca, and Puerto Escondido—for a week’s immersion to re-launch Spanish study, I’m very glad I opted for Na’atik in Felipe Carrillo Puerto. The instruction was top quality and involved a stimulating combination of grammar review and related drills, readings and discussion, and free forms conversations about life and past experience. During these discussions, the brain pressed up against its expressive frontier in Spanish; Pedro is a great teacher, and as necessary gently offered better expressive options and the grammatical reasons underlying them. Time passed quickly, and the sessions soon proved their short term value in a greater confidence in navigating the interesting and untouristed town of Carrillo. I wandered its streets on foot and bike with more confidence and sense of security than I would many neighborhoods in my hometown of Chicago. I am grateful to Catherine and Poppy for some orientation and a visit to a nearby clear and spring-fed lagoon. My home-stay host and hostess, Miguel and Dianela, were wonderful. Dianela was once a professional cocinera, and it showed. I dined well and avidly on chicken and vegetable stews, desayuno egg dishes and quesadillas, and warm fresh maize tortillas, among other things. Miguel’s commentary and a couple of Spanish language books he loaned me provided an introduction the history of this region, and the development of Mexico’s border with Central America. Although a sighting of American or European tourist is unlikely in Carrillo, the Na’atik school is a home away from home—the Mexican, American, and English staff were kind and welcoming, and “inclusive” in the natural convivial way, not the suffocating, politically correct way. On my trip home, I noticed that I missed the Na’atik folks I had gotten to know. I hope to visit Na’atik again at greater length, and I highly recommend the same experience to anyone wishing to take a deep dive into Mexico.