Intercultura: Spanish Small Group Classes

I attended Intercultura in Heredia, Costa Rica to help improve my Spanish. It wasn't a requirement and something I did on my own volition--like the majority of students I met there. I thoroughly enjoyed the program. The classes and professors were great, the extra cultural class options were fantastic. I didn't love Heredia though. We were advised not to be out after dark on the street and to take a cab home if we were out late. I prefer walking around so this wasn't great to hear. I was home every night by sunset at 6pm to avoid roaming the streets after dark. My host family was pretty nice. They hosted a ton of kids. One of the family members wasn't as nice, but she was around the least, so I didn't have to interact with her a ton. The house was nice, too and the cooking was fabulous.

I wanted a spot to refresh my Spanish and also spend time in a beach community with swimming and outdoor activities. Intercultura exceeded my expectations. The teachers were excellent (I did the private lessons) and were flexible in covering my deficits and making quick progress on the review. The staff, especially Darihana at the front desk were very friendly and helpful taking care of my questions, not only about the program and school but the local community. My husband (not interested in the school) and I rented our own place, and did not do the home stay and she was helpful regarding were to shop, local customs, etc.
The school also offered extracurricular classes in yoga, done in an outdoor covered platform overlooking the beautiful beach with an experienced helpful instructor (Lindsay). We also attended dance and cooking classes, which were fun. The group classes would have worked well had I been visiting on my own, and who knows? Maybe I will return, Samara is a fun, friendly and picturesque small coast town.

I was in an advanced group class in the Samara campus for a week. The campus is beautiful with excellent facilities and is right on the beach. The teacher was very organized and professional, and taught us fine points in grammar that were very helpful. The main drawback was that the other students were almost entirely Swiss, predominantly teenagers on a gap year after completing high school. My class was entirely Swiss and the language around the school outside of class, and within class when the teacher wasn't present was the Swiss dialect of German... It was hard to practice speaking Spanish under these circumstances. If you are an adult who does not speak the Swiss dialect of German, you may find the school is not a comfortable place to study.

We had five children study at Intercultura in the summer of 2015, ages 10-17. The school is well run and professional, and the staff is helpful, down to earth and friendly. The school has cooking, dance and language classes, and they take students on optional field trips. We had the girls go to school at the Heredia school, which we thought was a more authentic Tico experience. The school is located in a small city with all that a small city brings, and we wanted more focus on language than on beach activities. We rented our own house, so we can't speak to the housing or family arrangements, but we heard positive reviews from others. The Ticos in Heredia are friendly people, and they are not out to take advantage of tourists. We would consider sending our daughters back to the school. Pura vida!

I studied at Intercultura for 5 weeks in the Spring of 2016. I attended class at both the Heredia and Samara locations. The facilities at both schools were nicer than I would have expected. The school in Heredia has a beautiful courtyard that will make you want to spend all day on campus. There is complimentary coffee and tea all day, a clean kitchen to use, a dance studio, and plenty of good study areas for after class. The staff was competent, pleasant, and always eager to help in any way they could. They even helped me find a reputable physical therapist. Even the door man will brighten your day with his good humor. I learned more Spanish in the 5 weeks of classes than I ever could have imagined was possible. Although I'd like to take all the credit, I would have never had the opportunity to learn as much as I did without the clear instruction and patience of the professors. Class sizes were always small and there was lots of personal attention. Now that I am back in the United States, I still review my work books and pick up new vocabulary. Marcelo, the director, was very accommodating and always approachable to talk about any issues. Aside from being an excellent teacher, he keeps the school running like a well oiled machine. I always felt like both the students and professors were happy to be on campus and eager to learn or teach.

Heredia is a perfect setting for a language school. It is safe enough to walk around, there are excellent restaurants(and a central market), and plenty of opportunities to make friends with Costa Rican university students. Also, because Intercultura is an English and Spanish school, there are opportunities to do extremely helpful intercambios every day.

Samara is a different world than Heredia. In my opinion, it is one of the best beach towns in Costa Rica. It is still preserved from tourists and all of the negative externalities they bring to a small beach town. Everyone knows everyone, and the community is diverse in Samara. Intercultura quite literally could not be any closer to the beach. The campus is gorgeous with hammocks, outdoor showers, and lots of wildlife. The classrooms are the same as you will find in Heredia.

I did not have a host family in Heredia, but Intercultura provided me with a family in Samara. As if I didn't already feel at home on campus, my mama and papa tica went beyond the call of duty to open up their home to me. I ate a balanced breakfast and dinner everyday which was nourishing and healthy. The house was always clean. My mama tica did laundry everyday and changed the sheets often which is very important in Samara's hot and humid climate. Never once, did my family get frustrated at me for trying to speak Spanish. They supported me, corrected me, and were always willing to practice for as long as I wanted.

I wrote this thorough review for Intercultura because I want to give back something for all I learned at their schools. Furthermore, I hope others will choose Intercultura instead of making the mistake I did by registering for a different program; which cost me more and ultimately turned me over to Intercultura once I arrived because they couldn't place me at their school. Intercultura will accomodate their students, even if they have to run a group class with only one student. Pura vida!

I recently attended the Intercultura Spanish language school in Heredia, Costa Rica. I chose to stay at a local hotel (Hotel Hojarascas) with a friend rather than choosing the homestay option. A brief interview with the school's director assessed my level of Spanish (basic intermediate) and I was assigned to a small class with two other students. The teacher was great, very professional, personable, and had a great sense of humor. There was plenty of opportunity to interact in the class with the other two students and the teacher, all in Spanish. There is an emphasis on learning correct grammar and much time was spent on conjugating verbs in the past and imperative tenses. And homework was assigned every night! And an exam at the end of the week. I will say that my Spanish did improve.
The school facility itself is attractive and comfortable and all staff are friendly and helpful. The school also offers extracurricular activities, and I did participate in a few. There was an enjoyable cooking class with a very interesting woman teaching the class. There are also salsa dance classes, yoga classes, and various tour opportunities. I especially liked the pretty courtyard settings where students could gather during breaks.
All in all, it was a good combination of learning and relaxation. I would recommend this program to anyone interested in learning Spanish.

Habiendo pertenecido a Intercultural de Samara durante tres años consecutivos, me gustaría usted aporta mis comentarios y sugerencias que conciernen al conjunto de mis estancias.

La acogida del conjunto del personal durante todas mis estancias, la calidad de los cursos, la competencia de los profesores, todo es verdaderamente impecable y muy profesional. Discutiendo con otros estudiantes que siguieron cursos en otras escuelas de Costa Rica o en otros paises, comprobé que Intercultural de Samara verdaderamente era la escuela la más apreciada por la mayoría de los estudiantes.

El "homestay" fue para mí a cada una de mis visitas una experiencia muy agradable y verdaderamente estuve muy satisfecho. Comprobé no obstante discutiendo con otros estudiantes que la calidad del "homestay" era muy variable de un lugar a otra y en ciertos casos el lugar no era verdaderamente adecuado.

Las actividades propuestas durante los fines de semana y durante semanas son muy adecuadas y pertinentes.

Según el mejoramiento importante que podría ser aportado conciérnele a la adaptación a una clientela más de edad. ¡ A mi parecer, con envejecimiento de la población, la gente como mí (pues un poco más de edad!) les interesan de seguir a cursos de español en un país como Costa Rica. Habría que no obstante adaptarle los cursos y las actividades a esta clientela que es diferente de la clientela actual compuesta de jóvenes. ¡ Puede ser interesante mezclar todas las edades pero se vuelve evidente que la vivacidad intelectual de los más de edad es menos rápida!

El "homestay" podría también sido mejor adaptado lo mismo que las actividades de fin de semana. Pensé decir que ciertas escuelas en país hispanohablante había decidido tomar esta curva …

What a great way to improve my Spanish, to live with and really get to know a local family and to see some of the natural beauty of Costa Rica! As an older women (in my early 60’s), I was a little nervous about traveling alone to Central America. Through Intercultura, I was assigned a homestay with an incredible family who picked me at the airport, introduced me to neighbors, showed me the sights in Heredia and fed me delicious meals. Intercultura set me up with a tour of the city, amazing teachers, great extracurricular activities during the week (dancing and cooking) and some fantastic adventures on the weekends. All that, for a very reasonable price!

I found everyone, from the office staff, to the teachers, to the dance instructor and tour guide to be delightful, patient and helpful. The teachers were extremely well prepared, well organized and professional in their teaching techniques. One of the best parts was my homestay. I was made to feel like part of the family – who gathered around the television in the evening to watch telenovelas and bullfights, and had big Sunday dinners, with cousins and relatives joining in. I was even introduced to the neighbors, one of whom had me over for a typical afternoon meal of homemade tortillas and agua dulce! I was taken to the local mercado in Heredia, later by bus into San Jose, and even to another town to visit an old cathedral. Because their English was very limited, I was forced to practice my Spanish speaking and listening skills, which really helped to reinforce what I was learning each day. I am still in touch via WhatsApp with my host mother, and via Skype with an employee of the neighbor. By arranging to be in Costa Rica for 3 weekends and 2 weeks of classes, I was able to learn Spanish (and come home with lots of notes to study), make new friends, see the countryside and get a little respite from the long, and cold New England winter. I’m looking forward to another visit in the future!