Spanish Language Programs in Guatemala

Archived Q&A and reviews ▼

Archived Q&A and Reviews

Questions

Antigua, Guatemala - recent trip? Language school?

Jan 2015

Hello, we are planning a trip to Antigua, Guatemala (and environs) and would love to hear of any recent recommendations folks may have had. Where did you stay, and would you recommend it? Cost? And for those who may have taken spanish classes at one of the language schools there, again, which did you choose, and would you recommend it, or another? We are considering a hotel stay rather than the family home stay option, but would love recommendations or advice about that as well. I've visited Guatemala twice myself, but both visite were decades ago, so would love to hear from more recent travelers to that beautiful country. Lastly, has anyone used the services of a 'tour guide' or company for small weekend outings? Or even better might be a language school that itself offers weekday or weekend extracurricular trips. Thanks so very much for any recommendations, words of advice, etc. Planning a Guatemala trip

Antigua is famous for its language schools. I am going next month with a group called Stove Team International and we are going to a language school for 2 weeks. You might want to ask Stove Team which school they are using as they are taking 30 of us there! Stove Team International is on the internet, has a website.

Secondly, I have been there twice now. I highly suggest you do NOT stay in someone's home but get an actual hotel. They are not expensive there. By supporting the hotels you are adding to the legitimacy of the town as a destination. You dollars go to taxes to help the infrastructure. It's just like Air Bnb has taxes now; if you stay 'under the table' it does not help the community as a whole.

Thirdly, I'd like to strongly emphasize that any tours be with legitimate companies. I had a scary experience with my family on a trip to one of the volcanos in the national park; if you want to hear it I can give you my phone number. We should have taken a tour recommended by our hotel, again, legitimate, accountability, not 'off the road' tour guides who are not licensed by the government. Same with cabs. Do not take a cab that is not a legit. cab with a license just to save a few bucks. Not worth it.

Fourth, the country is beautiful and rich. However, seeing the starving dogs and children who are poor is tough to see. It just is. You might want to prepare your kids. I always bring school supplies - pencils, markers, etc. and the kids are ecstatic, they don't have those things. I am going next month again.  Good luck.

Visitor to Guatemala

Spanish Host Family in South America for 14 year old

Sept 2013

I am looking for a program in South America to send my 14 year old daughter for a month this summer. I would like her to stay with a host family and maybe take Spanish classes. Alana

I strongly recommend Antigua, Guatemala. My 15 year old son and I went there for 2 weeks. We stayed at San Jose El Viejo (http://www.sanjoseelviejo.com/). They will pair you with a host family but we stayed on their grounds. You are assigned a private tutor who comes to the school for the lesson (options of half day or full day). Their tutors are some of the best in Antigua. I would recommend Rebecca. The rates are affordable and the lessons are fun. (The school operates on a Sun/Sun schedule. barbara

Spanish Language school - Mexico? Guatemala?

Feb 2009

Hello, Can anyone offer a recommendation for traveling for a two-week Spanish Language school, either in Mexico or Guatemala? How recently have you been? How was the instruction, town, weather, costs, time to do other sightseeing, accomodations, etc.? We are considering such a trip, with a 13 year old (who would also be enrolled in school, but probably a different level of class/instruction). Any ideas about how to find a school, any to avoid, best times to go, etc. Our initial thought is to go over Xmas break - would such schools be open then? Any helpful advice (or places to avoid) appreciated. Gracias

My 25 year old son Carl writes... This summer I spent a month and a half at a Spanish school in Guatemala and had a great experience. There are now Spanish schools almost everywhere you look in Latin America, but while doing some research I found that Guatemala tends to be the least expensive.

I studied in Quetzaltengano, Guatemala (the locals use its nickname, Xela) at a school called El Nahual. It is a somewhat smaller school than most and has a focus on cultural and social awareness. All the profits go to supporting the after school center which is housed in the same building as the language classes. The director is very committed and the teachers are all excellent. The instruction was one-on-one for 4 hours in the morning and there are opportunities to volunteer at the after school center or in the community teaching English in the afternoons. I stayed with a host family which was set-up through the school. My classes and homestay (with room and board) cost about $140 a week.

Quetzaltenango itself is a safe city, the second biggest in Guatemala. It's in the mountains so it can get a bit chilly, especially during the winter. There's plenty of culture, good food, and lots of local excursions and things to do. The vibe is different from the other popular student destination in Guatemala, Antigua--the students are here to study and the city feels real, not touristy.

I would bet that schools would be open over Christmas break. Winter is definitely the slow season for most language schools so it would be worth checking out to make sure. The website for El Nahual is www.languageselnahual.com Sally

My husband and I lived in Guatemala for a year - we were in a small town in a rural area but studied spanish at a school for one week. We were in a city called Xela or Quetzaltenango. There were tons of programs there for studying spanish and doing a number of different activities in the area. There are many programs also in a town called Antigua. I'd recommend Xela as it is less touristy and maybe more authentic. There would also be more opportunity to actually speak spanish in Xela. Either could be great depending on what will be best for your family.

I've heard mixed things lately about safety in Guatemala, so you should consider that, too. My experience was 5 years ago and I felt quite safe then. Becky

I've been to language schools in both Mexico and Guatemala. Guatemala is cheaper but much more third world. It was an incredible experience but I got very sick (like every other student at the school/tourist I met there). I stayed in Quetzalenango AKA Xela (pronounced shayla). It was more out of the way and had less gringos around. I also really loved Antigua... beautiful town square with more tourist friendly cafes and such but one could easily slip into English speaking there. I'm pretty sue the school I went to no longer exists. A simple google search will find you one and they all emlpoy a school gringo to help you make arrangements. The school I went to had a service component as did most in Guatemala.

Both the Mexican and Guatemalan schools have home-stay options. The families charge the school rent and feed you 3 times a day. Schools will also match you with locals looking to improve their English skills for exchanges.

In Mexico I went Instituto Cultral de Oaxaca. They even have a website www.icomexico.com for more info. Oaxaca is soooo beautiful and very art oriented. At the school I learned weaving and pottery along with Spanish. There are a lot of cute little villages just a short bus trip away from the city and a longer (8 hour) bus ride brings you to the gorgeous oaxacan coast with lovely beaches (check out Puerto Escondido or the more touristy Hualtulco). There are definitely more English speakers around but I still learned a lot.

In either place at any school during christmas break you are likely to be in class with mostly college students on their break from school. Have fun! Stacia

Last summer our family (2 adults mid-forties, 13 year old boy and 9 year old girl) visited Guatemala and studied Spanish in Antigua.We had very! good teachers at this school: http://www.spanishacademyantiguena.com/index.html for us adults, one beginner and one advanced speaker. The teachers for our kids were fun but not that challenging to my kids. Both of my kids speak Spanish thanks to the fabulous dual immersion program in Berkeley. The school was not prepared for that but I am certain they would accomodate us better, if I had figured it out sooner. But don't get me worng, my kids had fun and spoke Spanish all morning long.

We paid per person last year $90/week school and $70/week for home stay with shared bathroom. The two rooms at our family were very small and simple, the food was surprisingly good. The lady of the house ate with us every meal, but one and made us speak Spanish. She was very giving and caring.

We had a wonderful time in Guatemala, travelled two additional weeks and enjoyed every moment. Contact me, if you want more info. I'll be happy to talk to you.

We took Spanish kids books to Guatemala and that is what I can suggest to every traveller: If every tourist to Guatemala takes one Children's book in Spanish language to Guatemala, we can make a difference! It's easy to give them away. If you have a source for more Spanish books and are willing to haul them, take them, including adult ones. If you need contacts, let me know.

Have fun - wherever you decide to go Claudia

Going to Antigua with teen for language study

May 2004

My teenage daughter and I are going to Guatemala in June to Antigua to study at a language institute and then travel. Does anyone have a recommendation of a colonial style hotel (perhaps with a pool) to stay while in Antigua, as well as a travel agency to work with to plan our travel plans? Recommendation for a language school would also be appreciated--there are so many to choose from!

Visit this website http://www.guatemala365.com/ to find out which Spanish schools are the best in Guatemala. For Antigua, I heard that Proyecto Linguistico Francisco Marroquin is very good. Most of the Spanish schools in Guatemala provide for a home stay which is the best way to study Spanish and to have a meaningful experience in Guatemala so you will not need to look for your own lodging. I studied in Quezaltenango and studied at Proyecto LInguistico de Quezalteco which is considered the best. My experience confirms this also. Being in Quezaltenango is very different from Antigua....it is not a very touristy area, and is located in the highlands near many of the Mayan villages. Antigua is a good area to be in if you think you will need to be among more foreigners. Anonymous

I studied Spanish in Guatemala a number of years ago. I studied at the school called Nahual in Antigua and at Proyecto Linguistico Quetzalteco de Espanol in Quetzaltengo, also known as Xela (pronounced Shay-la). Nahual was pretty good, but not as good at PLQE. The wonderful thing about most (maybe all) of the Guatemalan Spanish schools is that the classes are one-on- one, just you and your teacher. This means that the speed and content is exactly matched to your abilities. Make sure that your school offers this one-on-one instruction. At Nahual, I had a good teacher, but she seemed to more or less make up the curriculum. At PLQE I had a wonderful teacher, and she used textbooks, flashcards and other learning aids, as well as mapping out a learning plan with objectives at the beginning of each week. I'd look for schools that offer this, as well as college educated instructors, field trips, and home stays. I highly recommend staying with a family. Its very inexpensive, and gives you a total Spanish immersion experience. I learned more Spanish in those 3 weeks of classes and home stays than I had in 3 years of high school Spanish. Have fun! Guatemala is one of the most beautiful places in the world. Mara