Agualivar Spanish School

Everything about the week I spent in Agualivar was wonderful. A beautiful home with private rooms overlooking the Mediterranean, dedicated professional instructors, home cooked meals, engaging lessons and activities, and fun field trips. So much fun and Spanish all day long. It was everything I hoped!

My 2 weeks at Agualivar could not have been better! The variety of teaching methods, both formal and informal made learning both fun and effective. Fani and Eli (and their mother, Carmen) created a warm, welcoming and encouraging atmosphere that enabled me to really immerse myself in my goal to improve my Spanish. Hopefully, I will return to Agualivar again one day!

I went to Agualivar course for two weeks in June last year, and it's been the highlight of my 2025. The entire program was so thoughtfully planned, our personal interests taken into account in lesson plans and cultural trips. They knew I love mixology and drinks (esp ceverzas) and they taught a class simply on this topic at a bar/chiringuito where I got to put my knowledge to practice. The house is breathtaking, almost unreal views on the daily and the surrounding township is everything you imagine south of Spain would be. The food that was made at home was absolutely divine - simple, high quality ingredients, and delicious. Epitome of Spanish home cooking <3 There was plenty of opportunity to speak, think and live in Spanish - and as someone learning the language, this was incredibly valuable. The conversations with the hosts and their family over mealtimes are some of my favorite memories. Estefanìa, Elizabeth, their mum and entire family + friends + partners are just the sweetest, friendliest, welcoming people. I am considering doing it for the second time, and I wholeheartedly recommend it if you are thinking about it.

I had such a wonderful experience at Agualivar. The teachers were warm, friendly, and skilled. The program is structured in a way that provides variation throughout the day and week. Accommodations were lovely and the food was delicious. And of course my Spanish was much improved after just one week! I had so much fun and would happily return in the future. I've recommended this program to friends at all levels of Spanish speaking.

Mi experiencia en Agualivar Spanish Immersion School en Lagos, España, fue maravillosa. Desde el primer día me sentí acogida como parte de la familia. Las profesoras son extraordinarias: pacientes, alentadoras y profundamente comprometidas con el aprendizaje de cada estudiante. Las clases son divertidas y efectivas, y se aprende de manera natural conversando, cocinando y participando en la vida cotidiana. Las excursiones a lugares históricos de Andalucía fueron fascinantes y muy bien organizadas. La comida fue deliciosa y preparada con cariño, siempre en un ambiente relajado y lleno de risas. Agualivar no es solo una escuela, es una experiencia cultural auténtica y cercana. Me fui con español mucho mas fluido y recuerdos inolvidables. ¡La recomiendo sin dudarlo!

I had a great experience at the Agualivar Spanish School and hope to go again. Was it challenging? Yes! Did I improve my comprehension, conversation, grammar and confidence immensely? Yes, Yes, Yes and Yes. Was it a beautiful place to learn...a big, beautiful villa with a pool on a hillside overlooking the Mediterranean Sea? Yes! Were my teachers educated, engaging, encouraging and entertaining? Very much so. And the selection process paired me with two other students who were comparable to my level and as eager as me to learn. It wasn't just your basic lecturing learning style...yes we had that but we also had games, presentations, field trips to roman museums, olive oil tastings, visits to charming towns...all while learning Spanish. It was fun, it was hard, it was invigorating, it was frustrating, it was incredible. It was something I'd recommend a hundred times over and I hope I can do again very soon. Muchas gracias Fani, Elisabeth y a vuestra madre!

Wow!!! What an incredible experience!!! I cannot say enough wonderful things about Agualivar. Fani and Elisabeth, the program coordinators and teachers, along with their amazing mom, have taken into account everything to ensure that the experience was phenomenal. The attention to detail in coordination, the expertise as teachers in Spanish instruction, and the rich cultural opportunities they provided made this experience of a lifetime. The house the classes are in is beautiful, with wonderful views, a comfortable feel, and delicious meals. I hope to be able to visit and learn at Agualivar again, and can't recommend it enough!!

He pasado una semana en Agualivar este mayo. Mi español pasivo fue bastante bueno, era capaz de leer libros en español, pero no tenía mucha practica hablando. Y cuando hablaba, nadie me informo sobre mis errores. En Agualivar, he hablado español de la mañana a la tarde. Había cursos de gramática en la mañana y excursiones en la tarde. Cada día, debimos preparar como tareas presentaciones orales sobre sujetos relacionados con nuestras excursiones. Así, por ejemplo, una tarde, expliqué al grupo la historia y las obras de arte de la iglesia de Frigiliana con muchos detalles. Hablando, hice muchos errores, pero las profesoras muy simpáticas me corrigieron cada vez. Lo bueno es que ahora sé cuáles son mis errores más frecuentas. Vuelto a casa, puedo trabajar esos puntos. Pienso que mi español hablado se mejoró mucho en esa semana. Recomiendo Agualivar a cada persona que quiere mejorar su español básico. Además, la escuela está ubicada en una colina con una vista maravillosa sobre el mar. Hay una piscina, y la comida es muy buena también.

I loved my time here, and would return just as others in my group had. A spectacularly complete set up: The house is fantastically large and beautiful; comfortable with amazing views of the hills, gardens, ocean, and pool. The classes are small and structured, but also allow for questions and conversations. The instructors were very engaging and encouraging, and our homework allowed us to dive into Spanish history, sites, and other interesting tidbit. Meals were delicious and varied, and also regional and healthy. Each day was different and fun, as we had interesting excursions and activities. I highly recommend you give it a go!

Una escuela de inmersión es la mejor manera de aprender rápido. Si estás pensando en ir a una, te aconsejo que elijas a Agualivar. Lo disfruté inmensamente mi experiencia en Agualivar y no quería irme. Todas son muy simpáticas y me sentí muy como en casa en la villa hermosa. El sitio es muy tranquilo y me gustó mucho la vista de mi habitación. Las lecciones fueron perfectas para mí y aprendí mucho. Las excursiones fueron divertidas y me encantó aprender sobre la cultura. La comida fue una delicia especialmente la paella de campo. Gané confianza y mi vecina española ha comentado cuánto he mejorado. Espero volver pronto.

I have had a lifelong fascination with language and currently take a private Spanish class and listen to podcasts and programming in Spanish. I consider myself an intermediate speaker and I love exercising the language part of my brain. I spent two weeks at Agualivar and only wish I had had more time. The 3 hours of class instruction by Estephania and Elisabeth, meals by Carmen and the family, mealtime conversations, homework and afternoon cooking lessons and field trips with Anna filled the day with excellent Spanish and real-world conversations. We talked about many cultural and current events as well as the inherent language lessons. It is truly an immersion experience. I laughed and dreamt in Spanish. The location is idyllic, situated on the family farm with views of the Mediterranean. The house, surroundings and my bedroom and view were awesome. The food was healthy and abundant. The fellow students were hard working. I felt at home and as if I were visiting old friends. As a note, I was in school during the big Apagón April 26th. We kept calm and carried on, not missing an opportunity to be immersed. This is an experience you can’t miss if you are serious about improving your Spanish skills.

After studying Spanish from a book for many years, I was so nervous to do a language immersion. I was not very fluent in Spanish, and I was not a seasoned traveler. Well, those fears wore off immediately when I arrived at Agualivar Spanish School and was greeted by the most beautiful family - a teaching team of two sisters and their lovely mother. First of all, the home is GRAND and surrounded by working orchards with spectacular views of the Mediterranean - charming. I had a private room and full bath with air conditioning - comfortable. Meals were fresh, locally sourced, and authentic to the region - delicious. Second, the course content and cultural immersion are SUPERIOR. Stephanie and Elizabeth are talented, fun, interesting, and engaging instructors. They utilize a wide variety of teaching strategies that chase away boredom and help students make dramatic progress in a short amount of time. In addition to morning lessons, daily afternoon excursions are well-planned, informative, and enhancing to the overall learning experience. By the end of my stay, I was finally fluent enough to travel 2 more weeks in Spain speaking only Spanish in taxis, hotels, stores, museums, and restaurants. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND Agualivar Spanish School to anyone who wants to gain confidence and fluency in an amazing, private setting.

Do not hesitate to book this unique personalized immersion on the coastline of Malaga. Fani & Eli (sisters and your teachers), Carmen (mom & chef) & Ana (afternoon tour guide) were all so lovely, knowledgeable and caring of your experience. Their finca (property & home) is gorgeous overlooking the sea. Private bedrooms and own bath. It is up a hill so gives quite a workout to get down there (more so back) for midday break but wonderful views. Level of instruction was on target (all four students same level) but not for the lighthearted. It is all Spanish all the time whether morning or afternoon study outside by the sea or touring around in the afternoon. Quite different from classes at a university in a city. It is a remote, focused experience and you will come out of it not only an improved speaker but a changed person. Will not forget my time at Agualiver, don’t hesitate to book!

¡Esté listo para trabajar duro! Si quieres practicar un poco de español mientras tomas unas vacaciones hermosas, este no es el programa para ti. Es una experiencia de inmersión completa, increíblemente enriquecedora y emocionante. ¡El número de horas en “clase” formal e informal en el web no es una exageración! A menos que tu español esté en un nivel que sea fácil con poco pensamiento, cada minuto tu cerebro está “encendido”, no se afloja. Dormirás muy bien por la noche y te despertarás eufórico, listo para estirarse para cumplir con el proceso de aprendizaje rápido del día siguiente. Ir a una escuela de español de inmersión fui una cosa de “bucket list” para mí. Investigué programas de diferentes tipos en varios países. Quería un programa que personalizara la instrucción suficiente que podría basarse en pedazos de educación temprana de hace décadas y llenar los vacíos de años de instrucción irregular, fragmentaria y autoguiada en internet. Agualivar, Fani, Eli y Carmen proporcionaron todo eso y mucho más! El entorno era más de lo que uno podría esperar, una hermosa villa familiar con habitaciones privadas, literalmente en una colina con vistas al mar Mediterráneo. Lagos es una pequeña ciudad rodeada de antiguos pueblos pintorescos de postal como Nerja y Frigiliana, algunos de los cuales tomamos excursiones como partes integradas de la instrucción de la tarde. Las grandes y bulliciosas ciudades metropolitanas de Málaga y Granada están a un paseo en autobús, y son ideales para visitar museos de fin de semana y explorar relajadamente. Las únicas cosas que desearía haber hecho de manera diferente fueron tal vez otra semana de instrucción (fui por 2), y unos días más después de Agualivar para explorar tranquilamente más de estos sitios históricamente ricos. ************************ Be ready to work hard! If you want to practice a little Spanish while taking a beautiful vacation, this is not the program for you. It’s an incredibly enriching and exciting full immersion experience. The number of hours in formal and informal “class” on the website is no exaggeration! Unless your Spanish is at a level where it comes easily with little thinking, every waking minute your brain is “ON”, no slacking. You’ll sleep very well at night and wake up exhilarated, ready to stretch yourself to meet the next day’s rapid learning process. Going to an immersion Spanish language school was a bucket list thing for me. I researched programs of different types in several countries. I wanted a program that personalized instruction enough that could build on bits of early classroom education from decades ago and fill in gaps from years of spotty, piecemeal, self-guided internet instruction. Agualivar, Fani, Eli and Carmen provided all of that and so much more! The setting was more than one could hope for, a beautiful family villa with private accommodations literally on a hilltop that overlooks the Mediterranean Sea. Lagos is a tiny town surrounded by ancient postcard picturesque villages like Nerja and Frigiliana, some of which we took excursions to as integrated parts of the afternoon instruction. The larger bustling metropolitan cities of Malaga and Granada are a bus-ride away, and great for weekend museum visits and relaxing exploration. The only things I wish I’d done differently were maybe another week of instruction (I went for 2), and a few more days after Agualivar to leisurely explore more of these historically rich sites.

I feel very lucky to have had the opportunity to attend Agualivar for the first two weeks of October. I’ve only been learning the language for the past year so I’m still at the A1-A2 level, so naturally I had some anxiety about being able to keep up with the conversation and fitting in appropriately with the level of the other students. Everything worked out really well. Fani and Eli did a great job creating a group of three students with similar levels of grammar and vocabulary, and they conducted their classes with skill, patience, and a wonderful sense of humour. It’s not easy completely avoiding the use of English, but we managed to do so even on our unsupervised weekend day trip to Málaga. The setting of their family home (the school) is spectacular. Frani and Eli are wonderful teachers and their mother Carmen is a gracious host and wonderful cook. I also really enjoyed the afternoon outings with Ana, who is so kind and patient, and an excellent teacher also. Thank you again Estefanía, Elisabeth, Carmen, and Ana, for an unforgettable experience. I hope to see you all again next year!

My teenage son and I spent a wonderful week at Agualivar in summer 2023. We liked it so much that we returned in spring 2024 – and we hope to make it back again one day. The family is warm, and it is a special experience to be welcomed into their lovely home, to learn from them not just the language but the culture and to speak with Spaniards about a variety of subjects. And the home-cooked Spanish meals are delicious. I can hardly think of a better place for a Spanish lesson than their porch, with its stunning view of the Mediterranean. In our spare time, we enjoyed long walks along the sea, and during our summer visit, the pool was refreshing. Most importantly, we left with a much greater understanding of Spanish, especially from the conversation outside of the class sessions. My son says he learned as much from Agualivar as he did from a whole term in school.

La maison spacieuse accueille 5 étudiants. Chacune des chambres est très grande, confortable avec salle de bain privée. Toutes les chambres font face à la Méditerranée. La cuisine de Carmen, Éli et Fani est excellente. Tous les plats sont bien présentés et se rapporte à la culture espagnole. Les sorties sont bien organisées et variées. Visite des villages à proximité, spectacle de Flamenco, repas dans les Chiringuitos. Ana notre guide pour les après-midi est souriante, agréable et à l’écoute.

I'm Marie-Eve from Canada and I recently did a one week homestay at Agualivar Spanish Immersion School on a rural property near Malaga, Spain. From start to finish, it was a fantastic experience that exceeded all my expectations. There were three other lovely women in my group, all with the same desire to improve their conversational skills in Spanish. Each of us had our own bedroom with bathroom in a beautiful house overlooking the sea. Our teachers, Fani and Eli, along with their mother Carmen, made us feel right at home. Every morning, we had lessons adapted to our needs. The atmosphere was casual, but the pace was intensive. Our "classroom" was generally outside on the terrace, or on windier days, inside overlooking the sea. We spoke Spanish 100% of the time for the whole week, which was both exhausting and incredibly rewarding. In the afternoons, we went on outings with a family friend to nearby villages or took part in workshops like an exploration of the family finca (rural agricultural property or farm), followed by an olive oil tasting session. In my case, we also visited Frigiliana, a beautiful "pueblo blanco", went to a nearby archeological museum, and visited a local supermarket and cafes. All of our meals were eaten at home with members of the family, except for one dinner at a local restaurant with one of our teachers during flamenco night. The home cooked meals were healthy and delicious, relying on local ingredients and flavours. What a delight! The "sobremesa", time to linger at the table after a meal and chat, is a great custom and was a wonderful way to expand our conversational skills in Spanish. A home stay was a new experience for me. I wasn't quite sure what to expect, but I loved the combination of meeting interesting people from different parts of the world while improving my Spanish in a supportive and welcoming environment, soaking up the local culture, all while enjoying beautiful weather and spectacular scenery. I look forward to going back to Agualivar again one day. Next time, I would stay longer!

I spent the first two weeks of April 2024 at the Agualivar School of Spanish Immersion. The setting is the family home/farm of the teachers, Eli and Fani, and overlooks the Mediterranean Sea just east of the city of Malaga. The school’s atmosphere is relaxed and intensive at the same time, because of the concentration and focus necessary to adopt your non-native language 24/7. Fani and Eli use teaching methods that are instructive and fun. Both teachers are also exceptional in their ability to explain Spanish grammatics, sentence structure, parts of speech and colloquialisms. Each morning is dedicated to didactic lessons and each afternoon involves excursions with family friend, Anna, to nearby landmarks/towns and/or cultural experiences, e.g., beachside refreshment huts for beer and tapas. Anyone looking for serious exposure to the Spanish language, mixed with a very comfortable family home atmosphere and top flight Spanish instructors should seriously consider Agualivar Spanish Immersion School as money well spent. En Español: Pasé las dos primeras semanas de abril de 2024 en la Escuela de Inmersión en Español de Agualivar. El entorno es la casa/granja familiar de las profesoras, Eli y Fani, y tiene vistas al Mar Mediterráneo, justo al este de la ciudad de Málaga. El ambiente de la escuela es relajado e intensivo al mismo tiempo, porque la concentración y el enfoque necesarios para adoptar tu idioma no nativo 24/7. Fani y Eli utilizan métodos de enseñanza que son instructivos y divertidos. Ambas profesoras también son destacadas por excepcionales en su capacidad para explicar la gramática española, la estructura de las oraciones, las partes del habla y los coloquialismos. Cada mañana se dedica a lecciones didácticas y cada tarde incluye excursiones con Anna, una amiga amable de la familia, a lugares/pueblos y/o experiencias culturales cercanas, por ejemplo, chiringuitos para tomar cerveza y tapas. Cualquiera que busque una exposición seria al idioma español, combinado con un ambiente hogareño muy cómodo e instructores de español de alta categoria, debería considerar seriamente la Escuela de Inmersión en Español Agualivar como dinero bien invertido.

Me quedé en Agualivar durante una semana en Abril 2024 y la experiencia fue fenomenal. La finca es un lugar único y fascinante que te inspira y relaja. Fani y Eli crearon lecciones personalizadles que ayudaron a llenar vacíos de conocimiento y a compartir información fascinante sobre su familia y el región. Las visitas de la tarde enriquecieron la experiencia sin dejar de sumergirse en el idioma. If you want to get an insight into everyday spanish life while consolidating your language skills in a beautiful environment, I highly recommend spending some time at Agualivar.