Intensive Spanish Program @ Nosara Spanish Institute

I don’t remember exactly how I first saw Nosara Spanish Institute (NSI) as a possibility for my next steps in Spanish, but I am profoundly grateful that this opportunity came to me. Studying at NSI was exactly what I needed for my next steps in Spanish. The staff at NSI not only helped me progress much more rapidly in my language acquisition, but they gave me a huge-hearted welcome to the people and culture of Costa Rica. From my first inquiry email through the last day of my classes, all of the staff at NSI have been wonderful. They give sincere attention and care to each of their students, creating a safe place for everyone to learn and practice together, a “no judgment” zone that reduces the fear and anxiety and increases the enjoyment of learning a new language. All of the instructors are well-educated about the structure of language and the process of language acquisition, and they encourage each student to dive deeply into the life topics that are most interesting for them. The staff also organize varied and very enjoyable activities at the school and in the Nosara area. To make the most of any period of study at NSI, however, I also highly recommend taking the opportunity through NSI to live with one of the host families. My host family was extremely supportive and helpful. I believe this enabled me to settle into a much more comfortable and enriching experience of studying Spanish and Nosara. The ultimate question for any endeavor, of course, is “Was it worth it?” I can tell you that, for me, it was worth far more.

Highly recommended! NSI was one of my favourite parts of my Nosara trip as it allowed me the opportunity to learn and practice Spanish in a structured environment while also feeling immersed in the Costa Rican culture. I really enjoyed having lessons each day and then having the rest of the day to "go out into the world" to practice. The school is also quite immersive so all the staff will speak to you in Spanish - as slow as you need, and will explain more in English if required - to help you learn. We also had a field trip to some waterfalls which was very fun and a great opportunity to practice with other students from the other classes while getting to know one another, en Espanol! The school has AC, nice bathrooms, was very clean and comfy, and I enjoyed the coffee too. The location of the school is also ideal as a grocery store and other shops were nearby and I could walk to the beach after class. My specific teacher Alejandro was very patient, fun and informative and I hope to be back to attend more classes again soon!

NSI exceeded my expectations in every way! The staff is AMAZING - a team of fun, engaging, incredible teachers - who not only teach you spanish but also about Costa Rica and their culture. They are incredibly flexible and will move you around in classes to ensure you're at the right level. I spent two weeks here and would absolutely go back. Look no further for a spanish langauge school abroad!

My husband, friend and I spent a week studying Spanish with Alejandro at the Nosara Spanish Institute. He was fabulous, designing his instruction to meet our individual needs: working on the subjunctive, the reflexive, and becoming familiar with Spanish phrases and words, specific to Costa Rica. . .since we now live there. He was a very knowledgeable and patient teacher. Therefore I would highly recommend the Nosara Spanish Institute as a wonderful place to learn or improve one's Spanish. And Nosara itself is a fun place to be to learn it!

I learned so much in my three weeks at Nosara Spanish Institute, and wish I could have stayed longer. The class sizes were small and instructors were all very professional, friendly and knowledgable. With four hours of class per day, time really flew by, and I went from struggling to order at a restaurant to being confident in navigating around the country and talking about more complex topics! The location of the school is great, and Nosara and Guiones beach have so much to offer in terms of activities (yoga, surfing, biking, hiking etc) as well as great food and a good vibe. The NSI management made good efforts to plan COVID-safe and responsible cultural immersion activities and accommodate changes in scheduling. Having studied foreign languages in several countries before this, I would definitely recommend NSI for anyone looking to learn Spanish in a beautiful environment.

The Nosara Spanish Institute was accommodating, friendly, and understanding. They made me feel like part of their family. The professors are very engaged, hands on, and genuine. I highly recommend this place for learning while abroad!

This is a small, relaxed school located in a small town of two parts, one part where Costa Ricans live and a separate cosmopolitan part populated by visitors who surf and practice yoga. The school is located near the beach in the part populated by visitors. I rented a nice apartment in the tourist part of Nosara which was far enough away from the school that I elected not to walk to the school, although a younger person probably would have walked. Were I to do it again, I would stay in the nice hotel located less than 100 meters from the school. My wife practices yoga, which is why we selected Nosara. The Spanish school experience was pleasant and comfortable. I liked my instructor, Ana, who took a professional approach to sessions, using a structured curriculum that she was adept at using. The instructor and other students with whom I interacted were urbane and interesting; I enjoyed interacting with them. As a personal preference, I would have enjoyed a higher ratio of conversation in Spanish with these interesting people to the structured lessons and practice. That said, the structure and practice was useful; I clearly needed the practice despite my predilection. One piece of advice: I had rented a small 4-wheel drive pickup to drive to Nosara from the airport in Liberia. I recommend against doing this. The drive is not fun and a vehicle of this size is too large for a small town with lots of pedestrians. Instead, take a small plane to the landing strip in Nosara or hire someone to drive you there. If a visitor wants a vehicle in Nosara, he or she can rent motorbikes, quads, or golf-carts, or use a tuk-tuk taxi. All of these are better options than a larger vehicle.

the Nosara Spanish Institute was absolutely amazing. This was my first time alone abroad and the Nosara Spanish Institute was so helpful and walked me through the process with efficiency and kindness. I always felt safe and cared for. They are an amazing school and the instructors were incredible. I had an absolute blast. it was the Best time of my life and i hope to be able to go back again one day. I learned a great deal and made some wonderful friends. I can't recommend the Nosara Spanish Institute highly enough. Give it a try, i am confident that you too will have the best time of your life.

I have spent two separate weeks at NSI and absolutely loved my time there. The teachers are excellent, the classes have been small (max 5 ppl) and the opportunity to join other cultural experiences have really added to the programs quality. As a solo traveler I particularly love that this class connects me with both locals and other travelers during my visit. It’s not unusual for classmates to connect after class or make plans to get together at a local event arranged by NSI. I would absolutely recommend NSI to any level of student. Can’t wait to go back !

I spent 3 weeks in Nosara at NSI in July/August 2018, and everything about my stay - NSI program, homestay and the town - were as excellent as I had hoped and expected. Highly recommend NSI to anyone who wants to learn or improve their Spanish language skills.

I attended Nosara Spanish Institute to improve my Spanish for a uni course I had to take thereafter. I stayed almost three months. Every teacher is magnificent, patient and interested; they have their individual styles but the high quality is consistent among all. The class sizes are small allowing equal opportunity to engage with practical and theoretical content. The lesson plans are adapted to your needs/wants. Admin goes above and beyond to provide a holistic experience (cooking/dance classes, social outings, and if the season is right excursions to see turtles nesting at sunrise). The school is set among trees near the beach, creating a calm learning environment. My host family were beautiful, generous and genuine people and I will remain close friends with them always. I owe at least half of my Spanish to their gentle and patient guidance!

I HIGHLY recommend Nosara Spanish Institute. It's a small school (there was only one other person in my class), so it's very personal. All teachers, students and staff were incredibly friendly and welcoming. We took affordable, well-planned excursions together. Walking distance to the beach, grocery store and yoga!

Going to the Nosara Spanish Institute was definitely one of the highlights of our trip to Costa Rica! The class sizes were small and the instructor great and staff were friendly and helpful. This was my second trip to Costa Rica and I really wish I would have gone straight to this school on the first trip! Its a great way to get some working knowledge of Spanish language and the local culture...being able to speak and understand even a little bit of Spanish really enhances the experience of visiting Latin america!

I had not formally studied Spanish for over 25 years and needed conversation practice and a thorough review. I was only able to stay for just over a week, but the Intensive Spanish program was fantastic, with small class sizes and individualized lessons. Nosara was the perfect setting for my first time travelling alone in many, many years. I felt safe within the small, quiet community and the shared home-stay at Casa Matias. My interactions with the staff at the school, as well as my home-stay family, gave me the confidence I needed to independently explore the surrounding areas and communities to practice my Spanish. The shared home-stay was easily accessible and the home cooked meals were the best!!

I have worked on my Spanish on my own, online, in tutorial circumstances, in classes. The program at Nosara Spanish Institute is the way to learn Spanish. The instructors are delightful. The pace is perfect for instruction and the environment is supportive and nurturing.

My 14 year old son and I spent two weeks studying at the Nosara Spanish Institute in July which turned out to be the perfect choice after deliberating endlessly between all of the schools in Costa Rica and having few reviews out there like this one to go by. First, the school- what a wonderful well located, clean, friendly, relaxed yet focused environment to learn Spanish. My son and I took 4 hours of private Spanish grammar and conversational lessons each day in an air conditioned room. Both of our two teachers were incredibly enthusiastic, knowledgeable and engaging teachers. After the first week I gave my son the chance to cut down the class to only two hours but he chose to continue with the 4 hour class which says a lot about how much he was learning while still enjoying himself on his summer vacation. I took a lot of timing deliberating between this school and schools located in other towns and we definitely made the right choice as Nosara is still a low-key beautiful and unspoiled place. The beach was fantastic and if you are additionally into fitness, surfing and yoga you will truly have it all. We took a drive down to nearby Samara which also has a school and I was so relieved we chose Nosara as Samara is sadly dirty and rundown and in my opinion spoiled. In terms of communication and planning, the director of Nosara Spanish Institute is very responsive, responsible and helpful when making all of your arrangements. It was a truly rewarding two week learning/fun vacation and I highly recommend it.

I have studied abroad and taken several spanish courses throughout my life, and the Nosara Spanish Institute is by far the best spanish school I have ever attended. Not only are the professors extremely knowledgeable in their field of teaching, but they have a keen sense of how to tailor the course to your specific needs. Aside from academia, they go above and beyond to make your whole experience incredible, from assisting planned day trips to the best attractions around, to orchestrating activities like salsa classes. They made our entire vacation so much fun that the spanish classes almost seemed like a bonus!!

My husband and I, along with our three children spent two weeks at a family stay in Nosara. We had varying degrees of Spanish knowledge and the school identified our needs and split us into appropriate classrooms for our daily lessons. We were so impressed with the training and experience and personalities is all three teachers we had! They worked around our surf lessons for scheduling and had air conditioned classrooms. They offered several outside activities to see more of the area and culture. We highly recommend Nosara Spanish Institute!

Overall I have had a great experience with NSI. I have tried classes 2 times a week, 1x per day and 2 per day at different times over the past year. If you are serious about progressing, it really makes a difference to have daily classes for weeks at a time. The location is central and close to everything. The instructors are always patient and make learning fun. I have always been placed with classmates at a similar level. The classes are small and you meet people from all backgrounds. I will continue my classes at NSI and I highly recommend them to all, whatever your learning goals may be. Thanks Everyone!!

I spent a total of 7 weeks in classes at the Nosara Spanish Institute in Q1 2016. The instructors were knowledgeable, entertaining, and fun! The administrator was accommodating and extremely helpful with anything I needed. The class size was small enough to allow individual instruction (in my case 1-3 other students) as well as engaging interaction. Optional weekly activities provided cultural enrichment that added to the experience. I highly recommend the home-stay program - the total immersion was integral to my progress. Plus I made lasting friendships and have been able to continue to practice Spanish by remaining in touch with my incredibly wonderful host families. This truly was the experience of a lifetime!