A very pleasant and productive week!

Having only dabbled in Spanish in the nine years since I last studied it, I chose to go to Agualivar for a week to get up to speed ahead of taking regular lessons back home. I'm very glad I did. The teaching is really, really, really good. Your weaknesses and development areas are identified before you arrive and they are addressed using the topics that interest you and the vocabulary associated with them - it is a really effective way to learn. The techniques that the Eli and Fani use are really fun and engaging. The fact that you are living with a Spanish family, eating Spanish food, watching Spanish TV and listening to Spanish music means that you never really stop learning even when it doesn't feel like it. The immersion is so total that you will find yourself speaking Spanish sometimes without thinking about it. On the flight home I started chatting to the (very clearly English) air steward in Spanish, much to his bewilderment, before I realised what I was doing. Since I've been back my wife has fairly regularly had to remind me that she doesn't speak Spanish and therefore would I mind speaking English to her! The experience gives you a great deal of confidence to use the language naturally in a way that you can't learn in a non Spanish speaking environment. I think it really accelerates your learning, particularly if you have some knowledge before you go.

Aside from the learning aspect, all of the family are great characters, fantastic company and extremely generous and hospitable. The house and accommodation are beautiful, the surroundings are utterly idyllic and the food is sensational. I heartily recommend this experience on all fronts, my only regret is not going for longer!