Learn Spanish & Dance in Cuba

I went to Cuba in August this year and stayed to weeks in Habana. It was a great experience. Language course was amazing as well as dance lessons. I had a nice room with my own bathroom not far from school. I met a lot of new great people. Would do it anytime again

Excellent way to experience Cuba in a very friendly atmosphere. I stayed two weeks in Havana and one in Trinidad. Intensive Spanish courses in the mornings, salsa classes and city tours in the afternoon. Leo and his team's contribution to such a well-structured atmosphere for intercultural dialogue is amazing. I have met wonderful fellow students from all over the world, age range was 20-70.

I was joining this group to learn spanish. I cam with zero language skills and it was no problem. The teachers are really great so the time is flying during learning. Also the Management of the School was amazing, i had to shift my days twice and it was not at all an issue. They supported me an all belongings. Thanks a lot - highly recommend to everybody who wants to learn spanish or one of the other programs. Will come definitly another time again.BR, Chris

Pablito was very patient and flexible in his Spanish classes. I learned about Cuban history and the Cuban culture. Administration attended to details around lodging- I had a single with en-suite bathroom. Larissa did tours and came out with us to “Yellow Submarine” a Cuban rock club. And Willie-best Salsa teacher. Meals were well prepared and varied. I was only there one week and I plan to return. Everyone was so friendly.

Cuba Corazon (Jakera) made my trip to Cuba a BLAST! I highly recommend their programs! I was only able to stay for 10 days but I loved it so much I am already looking to go back! The program I was signed up for included Spanish lessons, Salsa lessons, and a mini trip to Vinales. Tim is very easy to reach via email and answers every question thoroughly. He also explains the entire process very well (something I was nervous about because I was traveling from the US). Leo, the man in charge of the hostel/housing in Cuba, is very down to earth and will help you organize things like taxis and give information about things in the area. Andy, the man that does the walking tours, is very chill and funny- definitely take a tour or two with him! My Spanish teacher, Ariel, was very sweet and was able to teach me more Spanish in a week than 4 years of Spanish classes in school. I highly recommend visiting Vinales, as well! The town is very small but welcoming and it is absolutely BEAUTIFUL there!! If you’re considering visiting Cuba (which you totally SHOULD visit!!), give Corazon/Jakera a try! They make everything so easy.

Spanish lessons in small classes with an amazing teacher. Beautiful terrace classroom. Delicious meals. Dance classes a close with fabulous Cuban teacher! Group evenings out to dance and see incredible live music. But most important of all was the incredibly support atmosphere, from the moment you arrive you are family … which is why I can’t wait to return to Corozon!

If everyone reading this review spoke Polish I'd use two words to describe my experience with Corazon Cuba - "Było zajebiście!!!", which translates to the highest level of awesomness possible! I cannot be more grateful for helping me live the best adventure of my live. You can read on their website - "Corazon Cuba - Your home away from home" - when I've read it, my though was "Such a cool marketing statement" ? ... Let me tell you something. You will feel home... and you will NEVER want to go back to your real home. So, be careful, saying goodbye will hurt. I could go on with all the amazing stories FOREVER. But I think it is better to leave some space for you to be surprised with the program. Muchas gracias Leo & Tim and the entire Corazon Cuba family.

Although I have traveled widely in Latin America and in post-Soviet Eastern Europe, I found myself feeling nervous about visiting Cuba. The folks at Corazon Cuba created a rich and safe experience for me. I was picked up at the airport by a kind taxi driver arranged in advance (having the driver arranged in advance simplifies things for US visitors, as we cannot change US dollars at the airport). He brought me to my lodgings: a comfortable, air conditioned single room with bath in a family home. My language instructor was experienced and professional, able to work with my level and help me polish up my Spanish (I am very comfortable speaking Spanish, and have even lived in Central America, but over time had lost proficiency with some verb tenses and gotten quite lazy in other areas). The building where the language instruction is offered is very comfortable, and I immediately bonded with other program participants. There were people of all ages the week I was there, and I felt very welcomed despite being considerably older than some of the participants. Cuba is difficult to visit. The poverty, created by historic and current US and Cuban government policies, is hard to witness. The facilities at Corazon Cuba and at the home where I stayed, while perfectly comfortable and impeccably clean, are meager by American standards. It's...a lot. That said, I am profoundly grateful I had the opportunity to visit. I brought some medications as donations, and would strongly urge other program participants to do the same. Some of the medications I brought are available in the US only by prescription (my child is very sensitive to medications and I have lots of prescriptions that she started but couldn't finish) and the folks at Corazon Cuba were able to get them to a local doctor who could make appropriate use of them. Other important info: as a middle aged, vegetarian queer woman, I had no difficulties. I felt perfectly safe, accepted and well-fed the whole time I was there, and I hope to return soon.

For two weeks me and my mom joined the Spanish and salsa program. The first week we stayed in Havana and the second in Trinidad. Both of the places have their own charm and we had an amazing time. The Spanish classes are a good and you can discuss with the teacher what you want to learn. The dance classes are a lot of fun, good teachers and a great vibe. The program is flexible as well, so you can always add more hours of Spanish/salsa. The people at the house are super helpful and you can ask them anything! It feels like your own little family!! I would definitely recommend booking with corazon Cuba and you'll have a great time.

Cuba is such a fun, beautiful and friendly place, I felt like I knew as many people in havana as I do back at home in Ireland! I had 1 on 1 Spanish lessons and we were just talking about the world, and it was great, I did salsa lessons and then afterwards you would go to a salsa club and dance, everyone is just dancing around the place its such great energy, literally never a dull moment I must go back!

My long standing desire to visit Cuba and learn more Spanish was fulfilled by my enrollment in Jakera's Spanish, Dance, and Culture program. The academic aspect of Jakera exceeded my expectations as I was challenged every weekday by my teacher's efforts to help me better understand the Spanish language. My first two weeks in the program were taught by Pablito, the director of the teaching component of the program, and by Darbel the last two weeks, an engaging and excellent person from which to learn. Because learning Spanish was my primary goal and reason for attending the Jakera program, I can say that I was and am very happy with what I learned in that component of the program. The cultural tours occurred three weekdays each week, while the dance occurred the other two days. I have mixed feelings about this aspect of the program. Some of the cultural tours were repeated during my four weeks there, and didn't happen at all on one of the scheduled days. Depending on the tour guide, the tours had the potential to be very informative and fun. I can say that the beach trips arranged on alternative weekends were very nice and a relaxing break from the overwhelming city life. The trip to Viñales (for the four week program) was also well organized and enjoyable, although the horseback tour was led by a company that has some very thin, maltreated, horses. Besides that, though, the host family at Casa Marisel in Viñales was extremely hospitable, and I would strongly recommend looking them up if you want to plan your own trip to Viñales. Senora Marisel is an excellent cook and very enjoyable to talk with if you want to practice your Spanish. Back in Havana, the dance classes were, at times, enjoyable, especially when smaller and given the opportunity to receive more individualized instruction. I think more dance and less cultural tours might have been the better way for me to go now looking back on my experience. It was fun to get a taste of the Cuban rhythm and I think I would have preferred a bit more than twice a week. The most frustrating part during the program was the hostel itself. Perhaps I went with too many expectations, but Jakera has definitely more of a hostel/party atmosphere than an academic setting. It was difficult to go to 3 hour Spanish classes each morning and get the most out of the classes after having got very little sleep due to the noise being made in the hostel. This is normal in a typical hostel setting, I realize, but the displayed rules at Jakera listed noise curfews that were not enforced. I noticed quickly, during my time at Jakera, that the majority of the posted rules were not followed, including noise curfews, designated smoking areas, and personal, intimate relationships between staff and students/guests. The unprofessionalism of some of the staff was distasteful, and not something I enjoyed experiencing every day during my stay there. Despite that negativity, however, other staff members were wonderful and engaging, especially the kitchen staff who made delicious meals always with smiles on their faces. My feelings about Jakera Cuba are mixed, but I write in the hope of allowing other potential students to make an informed decision if considering going to Havana, Cuba. I may have made a different decision regarding my studies if I would've known what I know now, but ultimately am grateful for what I did learn and was able to enjoy during my time in Havana.

My plan was spending 4 weeks in Cuba for Spanish School and then 4 weeks in Costa Rica for voluntary work. But during the first 2 weeks living in Havana Vieja I already realized that I absolutely fell in love with this country, especially with the city Havana and the cuban lifestyle - that's why I decided to change the program to 6 weeks Cuba and 2 weeks Costa Rica. I informed my travelling organization in the second week and they managed everything without any problem, so they were really flexible and tried to support me the best way they could - and they did a great Job. The group I lived together with was great, lots of people with the same wishes and plans that I had - here I realized really fast that travelling alone doesn't mean being alone because you have people around you all the time. That was a great experience too. School was really nice too, the teachers tried hard to learn us Spanish the best way they could, but also became good friends who always had good advices for us. My highlights of the trip were the city tours through Havana with cuban people, who were able to show us the "real" cuban life and some places, we might not have seen if we walked through the city alone. Next highlight was the trip to Vinales, where we did horseback riding through the tobacco farms (amazing and unique experience) and visited the most beautiful beach I have ever seen in my life - white sand, light blue water and nearly no tourists at all - amazing!! After my 6 weeks in Cuba I spent 2 weeks in Costa Rica, where I had the possibility to work in an animal rescue center (really cute) and got to know the beautiful country sides of the Pacific Coast of Costa Rica. If you compare it to Cuba, Costa Rica is really different (dark beaches, more kind of American lifestyle, little bit colder), but beautiful and charming in its own way and it's worth visiting. After my program was finished, I decided to come back to Cuba again - I was just flashed by this great country, the people, the lifestyle - that's why I had to experience this place for 2 more weeks and that's what I did. I travelled all trough the country, Cienfuegos, Trinidad, Santa Clara, Cayo Santa Maria and I was even more flashed! All in all I can recommend Cuba to everybody who likes to experience something totally different than the European or American way of life - if you're open minded and like to see a "real" country, Cuba is the best choice! Although you won't have a lot of luxury (supermarkets don't have a big assortment) nor WIFI possibilities, you will enjoy the trip totally because you're going to learn again, that real social contact is a lot more important than the social network. You'll get to know cuban people who will impress you with their talents of Improvisation in every aspect of life and especially with their everyday happiness, although they really don't have a lot. You will come home positive and with a lot of new aspects that will change your mind - just like I did! Nos vemos pronto Habana!

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