Program Reviews

I would absolutely recommend Habla Ya en Panama City. I was in the advanced class, given by Leidys Pattí. She is a very good teacher and really nice. I was already able to read, write and speak Spanish but I always had difficulties with speaking out loud. After just 2 classes of Leidys Pattí I felt secure enough to speak up. She makes you feel really comfortable with Spanish. The lessons were fun and very interactive. She explained the rules of subjunctive, a form I already had in school. In school I wasn't able to use it well. But with Leidys Pattí it was very simple all of a sudden.

Every thing was very clear and easy to follow. Thank you Leidys Pattí for this great experience. Habla Ya is modern school and the people are all very nice. Thank you all!

Habla Ya was a great experience for both learning Spanish and experiencing the culture of Panama. I speak some Spanish and wanted to improve my language skills for an upcoming trip to Ecuador. I spent two weeks at the school in Boquete and definitely accomplished my objective.
My teacher was Leidys Pitti and she was excellent. The classes lasted 4 hours each weekday and were conducted entirely in Spanish. This contributed to the total immersion concept and really worked quite well. Leidys also spoke very clearly and slowly which was a great help for improving my comprehension. She followed a structured lesson plan complete with workbook and examples on the whiteboard, but there was also plenty of free-flowing conversation about subjects in which I was most interested. Leidys was a joy to work with and you would be lucky to have her as your teacher.
Boquete is the perfect location to study Spanish. It's a pleasant little town in the mountains of Panama with plenty of restaurants, etc. Importantly, few of the locals speak English so I had to use Spanish. Luckily, everyone was patient and appreciated that I was there to learn their language. I stayed with a host family a short distance from town. The Del Cids were a wonderful, traditional, couple who also did not speak English. This provided a great opportunity to practice my Spanish and learn about the local Panamanian culture.
One final note about the Habla Ya school staff and policies. Every staff member I had contact with, whether the initial phone conversations with Tori, helping organize a tour with Ivan, and arranging my ride back to the David airport with Giselle, was great. They all made sure my experience went well.
I was scheduled and paid for group lessons. When I arrived, they felt I was not at the same level as the rest of the group, so I ended up with private lessons for no additional charge. This worked out great and demonstrates the school's focus on the needs of the students.

I am 60 years old and live in Boquete, Panama. I just finished a 3-week, 5-hr per day, 5 days per week intensive Spanish course at the Habla Ya facility in Boquete, Panama. My teachers were Erian and Kimberly. I had one hour of private lessons, a lunch break, followed by 4 hours of group lessons. My teachers were fantastic. They did not speak English during the lessons, which greatly aided my listening comprehension. We had a set curriculum but there was flexibility to review aspects of the language that I was having difficulty with. Although I did not participate in the extracurricular activities offered through Habla Ya, we did activities outside the classroom to expand our understanding of the language and culture. I have learned another language and find that immersion is the best method for me. I highly recommend Habla Ya and if available, schedule classes with either Erian or Kimberly. Both are very energetic, knowledgeable and patient.

I was a student at Habla ya for 2 months this year and really enjoyed my time there.
I had 4 hours of group classes in the morning and 1 hour of private classes in the afternoon.
My group class teachers changed from time to time, which was a little bit inconvenient at times, but overall the classes were good. I especially want to thank my private class teacher Lineith, who taught me a LOT in a relatively short amount of time every afternoon. Especially, the way she explained the grammar things to me, was very efficient and the classes were always a lot of fun and we had a lot of great conversations during our lessons. :)

The school organizes a lot of activities and it was always a lot of fun! However, if you consider Habla Ya in Bocas, consider that it is a Party Island and most activities (except the coffe tours, hiking..) revolve around going out and partying... So if this is not your thing at all I would recommend you a different location in Panama.
I was living in a Hostfamily ( Maribel), which was a good experience. She is a very warm hearted person and cares about her students. Also, she accomodates several students from the School, so you're likely to meet & connect with people easily, which made settling in very easy.

My family of five settled in Boquete for 6 weeks to study Spanish at Habla Ya. We were split into classes by age and Spanish level. My husband had never studied Spanish before and so was put into a beginner adult group class. Similarly, my two younger children joined a beginner group class while my older daughter (13) was put into an intermediate group adult class with me because she already had a foundation in Spanish. At times, the school had very few students and my family ended up being the only ones in each of our “group” lessons. My oldest had a harder time because she didn’t fit into the schema that they’ve developed. She wanted to be with other kids her age but the classes were too basic for her. However, the school tried to accommodate our needs as best they could and the teachers really demonstrate that they care about student progress. I studied with Leidys Pitti for 5 weeks. She did a great job incorporating conversation into our daily classes and making note when we had an opportunity to practice new skills.

I am so glad we chose to study Spanish in Boquete because it was the perfect place to settle in for 6 weeks. The center of town is always bustling with friendly activity, people saying hello, shops, restaurants, and, lots of beautiful fresh produce at the outdoor market stalls. In addition, the weather in Boquete is refreshing and always the perfect temperature. On extra warm days, showers would come in and cool the air down to a comfortable range. We also met a lot of friendly people from the area and everyone was willing and generous about letting us practice our Spanish, even though they speak very good English themselves.

The kids loved the variety of extra activities that they could participate in around Boquete, such as white river rafting, zip lining, rock climbing, hikes, horseback riding, and swimming in the mini canyons. If you’re on a tighter budget, the hikes in the area are spectacular and only cost a small fee for the taxi ride to the trailhead. The food was also a highlight for us. We had some really spectacular meals both local food and other cuisines. The family favorite was Colibrí, a restaurant on the gardens of the hotel where we stayed (more about Isla Verde below). Colibrí agreed to teach our family a private cooking class after my husband talked to the chef about his and the kids’ interest. They thought the class was phenomenal and learned new techniques, and how to make some of the best food we’ve ever had.

The traditional Panamanian food of the area includes a soup called Sancocho, rice, beans, a meat, plantains, and a side salad. There were a number of local restaurants that served this food beautifully. Our favorite was Las Orchillas. The other cafe that we really enjoyed was called Sugar and Spice which had great breakfasts and salads for lunch.

Finally, the place where we stayed was absolutely perfect for us. We rented a large roundhouse at Isla Verde. The house was a single room with a loft. It was small but didn’t feel too tight or crowded for our family of five. The house was surrounded by beautiful gardens and fruit trees. The staff was extremely helpful all the time and we met some wonderful other guests from all over the world.

My family and I attended Habla Ya Panama in Boquete for six weeks, in anticipation of a move to Chile for a year. The experience was great.

First, a word about Boquete and surrounding Chiriqui. We visited in July and early August, which is the rainy season, and the weather was great for us. It was never hot, and there was usually a strong cool breeze, just perfect summer weather. In the afternoons, at least in July/August, it often rains, so you might schedule classes for the afternoon. We stayed at Isla Verde, a series of bungalows with kitchenettes about a 3-4 minute walk from the school. They were surrounded by lush gardens, and I was very happy with our stay there. The restaurant at Isla Verde, Colibri, was our favorite in Boquete, but mostly we ate at the inexpensive local restaurants, Sabrason, Amarillas, and Orchiadas. The main part of the town, Boquete Centro, is fairly small, and has a mix of supermarkets, stores, and restaurants catering to locals, as well as more tourist oriented restaurants. Boquete some great coffee and chocolate shops (this is the source for some of the best coffee in the world). The town is surrounded by verdant hills, which is lovely, and you can buy pineapples and other vegetables on the street and in the fruit and vegetable market for inexpensive prices, so it’s nice to have a place to stay with a kitchen. There are fresh fruits everywhere, a few of which I’d never seen before, and many restaurants have batidas (fruit shakes) and fresas con crema (strawberries and cream). Boquete positions itself as an adventure town, and there is a lot to do outside the town, including hikes, coffee, honey, and chocolate farms, Volcan Baru (which I didn’t visit), and ziplining and other trips. For the hikes, you can just take a taxi to a trailhead, and then catch a minibus back to town. My favorite out of town adventures were a rafting trip and two visits to the Mini Canyons, where you can swim and picnic with the locals in lovely warm water. In town, we had an amazing cooking class experience at Colibri, and a chocolate making experience at A Perfect Pair, which we loved as well.

I came to Habla Ya with no Spanish language experience, and after six weeks I can communicate fairly well, having a conversation with anyone. I’m very happy with the progress I was able to make. My vocabulary is still fairly small, and when native speakers talk with me rapid-fire, I often need to ask them to slow down. For the first three weeks, I worked out of their first workbook, which gave me all of the foundations for the language. It was well organized, and I learned basic past, present, and future tenses, how to conjugate verbs, and a lot of other language structure. The next three weeks I worked out of a second book that added additional tenses, and other concepts. I think the school is very language structure oriented, which worked well for me. For these two books they were essentially laying the foundations for me so that I could add vocabulary later and conceptually know how to use it. The classes we took were from 1-5pm, with a 20 minute break in the middle. I had about 15-20 minutes of homework at night, but then I would generally spend another 40 minutes or so reviewing the day’s work, which was a big help in cementing my learning. Because I was there in the off-season, I had essentially about 3 weeks of private lessons (since there was no one else at my level at that moment), and three weeks with 2-3 other students in the class, who were coming from the US, Germany, and France.

I had two professors:
My professor, Pedro Abrego, was great. He’s a quiet person, and fairly reserved, and conveys both humility and an unflaggingly positive attitude. He’s extremely knowledgeable and dedicated to teaching. He keeps the class moving at a quick pace, although he’s happy to work through a concept until you understand it. He will not speak English, which in some cases might have saved some time (it can take me a long time to ask a question in Spanish), but I think that is part of the professors’ training. His explanations were clear, and I couldn’t believe how much I knew by the end. He was a good fit for me, and he pushed me far in Spanish. I appreciated the chance to learn with Pedro.

My professor, Erian Marin, was wonderful. At different times, he taught both me and my kids, and was equally adept at both. He has a great sense of humor, and makes classes fun to attend. At the same time he helped me move quickly through the lessons, he was attuned to the students who might need extra support, and kept us all on the same page. In the case of my kids, he understood how to balance learning with fun and games. My younger son was not as excited about the material as his older sister, and Erian worked hard to keep them both engaged (including the occasional soccer game). I was so impressed with Erian’s teaching skill and charm, and I routinely looked forward to my classes with him.

I had a great time at the Spanish School! I had an excellent teachers Iraida, I would highly recommend her. I had Iraida for most of my four weeks there, she was engaging, thoughtful in her planning, and very intelligent. She easily adapted the class to the needs of her students. She really brought to life the cultural aspects of life in Bocas de Toro. I think that for 4 weeks, it was most advantageous to do 4hrs group classes and 2hrs private lessons. 6 Hours of class each day really does make a difference! The homestay was perfect for me, very close to the school, great family and great food.The other teachers, staff, and administration were all very friendly. I look forward to going back to this school to continue learning more language and Panamanian Culture.

I just finished two weeks of Spanish classes with Habla Ya in Bocas del Toro, and I can say that overall I am very pleased with my experience here. I was a little anxious prior to my trip as I have never before spent time in a developing country, but my anxiousness was put to rest very quickly. Everyone in my homestay family (Alicia) was very, very friendly and accommodating, and I definitely was glad that I took this opportunity to learn more about every day life in Bocas. My teacher Benita is a great instructor and was very responsive to my preferences for class. She has extensive and thorough knowledge of Spanish grammar and also has a knack for telling great stories, which definitely helped me improve my proficiency in Spanish during the two weeks of classes. Benita even found a documentary in Spanish on a topic I was interested in, and then we ended up watching some of this documentary in class. Every concern and question that I had throughout the trip was addressed quickly and professionally, and I feel lucky that I chose to attend this school. If you want to learn Spanish and enjoy life living on a Caribbean island, then Habla Ya is the way to go.

I completed one week of Spanish classes at HablaYa in Boquete and can understand the teachers and full sentences in 5 days of full immersion classes with four hours a day plus one hour of private lessons. The teachers are truly dedicated to each individual learning styles and needs. Bravo to the school and teachers, especially Pedro and Leidys!
I am truly grateful for a wonderful, fun, positive experience!
Beginning students will have no problem with the full immersion aspect of this program. It's easy to communicate with the teachers and fellow students each day. There is also an inspirational aspect to the way this program is designed as you meet new students from around the world who bring different levels of energy and perspective to the process.

​I took classes in all 3 Habla Ya locations and they were all excellent! Boquete however is the perfect blend of adventure and focused study. Kimberly is an EXCELLENT teacher, patient and consistent in reinforcing new and repeat concepts. I highly recommend any branch of Habla Ya, but Boquete was by far my favorite.​

The best part of Boquete is the balanced lifestyle of adventure and relaxation. There are many locals, alot of retirees and a good number of adventure-seekers without it feeling overwhelming. My best advice is to do the scenic tour on arrival - you get to see so much in 2 hours and it really gives you a good understanding of what all there is to do!

If you're there for a few days or more definitely do white water rafting, horseback riding, hiking, a coffee tour, try fresas con crema (yum) and visit Bambuda castle for sure!