Intercultura Costa Rica: Beachfront Spanish Immersion

I really liked learning Spanish and discovering Costa Rican customs. The teachers are very patient and everyone at the school is so nice.

The school is really pretty, and I like the books and the conversations in class. I lived a great experience, Pura Vida :-)

Saludos
Nathalie

My time in Costa Rica was truly a life changing experience for me. I still talk about it with anyone and everyone that asks me about my travels. The constant thread I saw throughout my time in Costa Rica was the beautiful culture of love, laughter and community that was at the center of all my experiences. Riding my bike to school each day and being warmly greeted by locals and tourists alike, made me feel like I had joined this small community instantly. My teachers were wonderful and really helped me to improve my Spanish reading, speaking and comprehension skills. Staying with a homestay family also added to full immersion and authentic taste of the culture that I loved. The gorgeous beaches, breathtaking jungles, delicious food and amazing people made me never want to leave. I will definitely come back some day!

4 weeks of Intercultura Spanish School have helped me to improve my already learned Spanish skills. Very nice and helpful teacher who teach the language in a funny and competent manner. Abolutely recommendable: Pura Vida !

The course was very challenging. I learned so much in the two weeks I was there. Immersion definitely helps in the learning process. You get out of the program what you put in, so if you work harder, talk to locals, and study a lot you will learn more! It is hard work but there is no better place to study than on the beach.

I have done classes at Intercultura numerous times and always have a great time and learn a ton. There really is no better location to learn a language than this school - it is literally on the beach and you can hear the waves crashing as you learn. All of the staff is super friendly and helpful. I have loved all of the teachers that I've had and they all seem genuinely happy to be teaching students Spanish. The homestays are an amazing deal also. I stayed in one for a few weeks and made a lifelong Tico family. The living conditions are basic, but typical of Costa Rica so it's all part of the experience. The classes are on the pricey side, but include cooking classes, yoga, Zumba, salsa lessons, access to the school grounds all day, and more so the price is not just for class time. I would highly recommend Intercultura in Samara for anyone looking to learn a language in an amazing location and meet new people!

My experience at Intercultura was a very short one (only one week), but my experience was very mixed. The location was beautiful and the administration helpful and organized. Yet, I had a run in with a highly unprofessional Spanish instructor, who's attitude and physical presence while in class was incredibly negative and disrespectful. As a teacher myself, I know good teaching behavior and practice. What I saw exhibited in this one individual was shocking, and in response I complained to the administration and withdrew from that class. The rest of my time there I struggled to get back on track. In my opinion, the administration should take a hard look at its staff and be sure normative teacher-student relationships are upheld. Given the discouragements experienced under said instructor, the program was too costly and not worth my time.

We were so pleasantly surprised at the lovely campus right on the beach. It was great to meet people from so many different countries in our classes. The support staff was wonderful and gave us many ideas
on places to go and see, and practical information about the whereabouts of the grocery store, the pharmacy etc. The rule on campus is Spanish only and they were very helpful as we attempted to
communicate in Spanish.
Our instructor was patient and personable and very organized. The pace in the classes is a bit fast so be prepared to do an hour or so of homework every day.

We did take the snorkeling/whale watching trip which was basically a
guy in a large speed boat. I would rate that as a little below average.

Unfortunately we registered too late to have a home stay so they put us in a small hotel which was adequate, but we missed the family experience.

I had not been in school for over 40 years and I was a little worried about total immersion since my Spanish was very basic. But, as soon as I got in the class I felt almost at ease, as the teacher was extremely competent and attentive to each individual personality.
I also enjoyed the environment very mush. It was quite special to come out of the class and have lunch on the beach, so we could practice what we had learned in the class.
Overall, fantastic experience.