Program Reviews

Been to several immersion schools when I was younger. Took my family to Costa Rica to play and learn some Spanish. Broc and the teachers were great. There were some amazing activities like the arribada (thousands of turtles on the beach). Best part though was our family homestay. We stayed in Casa Alice in Playa Garza. The family that hosted us is amazing and warm and they speak only Spanish. The food (breakfast and lunch included) was excellent and included fabulous ceviche and fresh fish regularly since they run the local Fish store where the fishermen bring in fresh fish.

I have studied Spanish at four different language schools in Central America, but for only one week each during my spring break. I have had a variety of language learning experiences. I was looking for a Spanish language immersion experience in Costa Rica and found Nosara Spanish Institute.

This January and February I studied Spanish for a month at Nosara Spanish Institute. Nosara Spanish Institute is located in Guiones where most tourists are surfers and yogis and speak English so that is the language you hear in the streets. During that time, I had two different teachers for two weeks each with distinctly different teaching styles. Ana carefully planned each lesson integrating listening, speaking, reading and writing activities at the group's level. I appreciated her attention to detail and explicit explanations.

The school provided a variety of cultural activities in the evenings and on weekends. Sometimes transportation was provided at a cost. Other times the students needed to figure out their own transportation.

Volunteer activities were limited. I had emailed the directors before coming to Costa Rica to set up a volunteer experience prior to my visit, but I was encouraged to wait until I arrived. After my first week, I emailed the directors again looking for volunteer opportunities. They sent me two names, and I started working with one of the nonprofits teaching English in the evenings in Nosara which is a 20 minute ride in a tuktuk on a very dusty road. The cost is about $10US round trip. Even though I was teaching English, I was also learning Spanish from my students. This volunteer experience was one of the highlights of my trip.

Accommodations in a Spanish immersion setting are limited here. There is a group homestay about 20 minutes walking from the school. While I was at the Institute, the students that stayed there spoke English together because most were at a beginning level. While the host prepared delicious meals, the family did not join the group to enjoy them. Consequently, little Spanish was spoken there. One fellow female student had a homestay in a fishing village and had a great immersion experience, but had to hitchhike to and from Guiones to the Spanish Institute each day. Hitchhiking can be a risky form of transportation especially for women.

Nosara Spanish Institute is located in a beautiful beach setting, and the teachers work hard to provide a good language learning experience. The directors need to find ways for the students to be more immersed in the Spanish language through volunteer opportunities and home stays. Providing transportation options for students would be a start.

I attended Nosara Spanish Institute to improve my Spanish for a uni course I had to take thereafter. I stayed almost three months. Every teacher is magnificent, patient and interested; they have their individual styles but the high quality is consistent among all. The class sizes are small allowing equal opportunity to engage with practical and theoretical content. The lesson plans are adapted to your needs/wants. Admin goes above and beyond to provide a holistic experience (cooking/dance classes, social outings, and if the season is right excursions to see turtles nesting at sunrise). The school is set among trees near the beach, creating a calm learning environment.

My host family were beautiful, generous and genuine people and I will remain close friends with them always. I owe at least half of my Spanish to their gentle and patient guidance!

This was my second time attending the Nosara Spanish Institute (2014 and 2015) and I have nothing but praise for all aspects of the school: Organization, value, professionalism and teaching.
My teacher was Marco Mora who did a great job of understanding where my level of Spanish was and helping me advance. Classes were a fun mix of direct grammar instruction, poetry and short story readings, movies and documentaries, music and conversation. Marco did a great job of keeping the class interesting.
If you have the good fortune of being in Nosara, don't miss out on NSI!

The instruction, teachers and support was excellent, the school was nice, and the town is great. I didn't have housing through the school but couldn't leave it blank so I put '5', but pretty much 9s across the board otherwise. I'd go back in a heartbeat.

Our profesora was excellent, patient, mixing a blend of immersion with clear English explanations on grammar and structure. We had fun with some games and also had light homework. Overall excellent experience Brock and the gang are good people.

Nosara Spanish instituit offers a good learning opportunity and makes my trip so much more fun! The teachers are experinced and funny. It is a place to meet some friends with your fellow students too. Anybody is interested in the program should try the home stay too. The host family is exceptional nice. The place is very comfortable and it makes you feel home away from home.

The course was grew, our instructor was really good with the students and managed to determine what best would suit our learning abilities and levels. The school provided a clean and quiet learning learning location and everyone involved was extremely helpful. Not only that but I was in school with a couple of great people and the small class size enabled a really good learning environment.

First of all: the school is located five minutes walk from some of the funnest surf in my life.

As it was relatively quiet, I got some private and the rest of the days almost-private instruction. The course, 4 hours a day + homework, was really intense. However it was fun also, and for the first time ever I would actually learn why and how the rules work. After this it was easier to pick up words from conversation and understand why the language is used at it is.

All the staff was very efficient and professional. For the first time ever I actually enjoyed learning a new language.

I came to Nosara Spanish Institute after looking for a place where my family could enjoy the beach and surf while I was in Spanish classes. I have to say that any expectations I had for the school were exceeded ten-fold. My dealings with the staff before I arrived were very professional and prompt. They answered all my questions quickly and made arrangements for my arrival, making my introduction to Nosara very smooth and easy. I had a home-stay my first week, set-up by the school. It was a very comfortable and private house with incredible meals, a short and lovely walk to the school.
I attended classes for 2 weeks with 2 classes per day. I came to the school with an OK understanding of Spanish, but poor speaking ability. My instructor, Marco, was the best! I so appreciate his style of teaching; providing a great deal of instruction, interaction, and positive feedback. The classes are small and speaking Spanish is encouraged, although Marco speaks perfect English. He is passionate about language and while the classes are full-on with the Spanish speaking and learning, they are also fun. Any language school experiences I have had in the past were blown away in comparison.
The rest of the staff at NSI are very friendly and helpful and were a great resource to me during my stay in Nosara. NSI is a sweet little school in a super cool town where the quality of instruction is superior and professional. I would definitely recommend it to anyone and am already trying to find a way to return.