Spanish Express

My experience on the immersion course at Pilar's home in Valencia was exceptional in every way. The classes went beyond what I had expected and the cultural visits were wonderful right from the very first day.Pilar is an excellent teacher. Her personalised approach and her genuine passion for teaching Spanish made the whole process feel easy and enjoyable rather than like hard work. I never felt like I was studying in the traditional sense, it just felt like I was living and learning at the same time.I would wholeheartedly recommend this immersion course to anyone and especially with Pilar as your host and teacher. She is a true professional who clearly loves what she does and that enthusiasm is completely contagious.

I stayed with Monica as part of the Spanish Homestay Immersion Program in Ciutadella de Menorca in December and it was a truly wonderful experience. I am from Texas and I love nature and the countryside and Menorca in winter turned out to be absolutely perfect for both.Monica made me feel welcome from the very first day. Living with her meant I was practising Spanish naturally all the time through daily conversations, shared meals and just the rhythm of everyday life together. I loved walking along the Cami de Cavalls which was so peaceful in winter and visiting the beaches which were quiet and beautifully unspoiled.The food was amazing, traditional Menorcan dishes made at home with fresh ingredients, and sharing meals together was honestly one of my favourite parts of the whole experience. What I appreciated most was the calmness of the island in December which made learning Spanish feel relaxed and genuinely enjoyable rather than stressful.Staying with Monica turned this programme into something truly authentic and meaningful. I would highly recommend SHIP to anyone who values nature, culture and a warm and personal homestay environment.

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Pilar was a wonderful host and an even better teacher. She was incredibly accommodating with health restrictions throughout the entire stay and always made sure we had everything we needed without any fuss.Her course was genuinely the best Spanish classes I have ever taken. I learned more in three weeks here than I did in three years of high school Spanish and I left feeling genuinely confident in my ability to speak beyond a basic level and with a real understanding of how the language actually works.The location also gave me the opportunity to go on some brilliant hikes which I took full advantage of. The nature around Gilet is so different from what I am used to at home and I loved exploring and experiencing something completely new in the surrounding countryside.The cooking was wonderful throughout and the excursions Pilar organised were all fantastic. The only downside was the lack of air conditioning but honestly it is a small price to pay for such a brilliant overall experience.

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I spent two weeks in Valencia and the first week was with another school entirely. The second week was with Pilar on her immersion course and honestly it brought the joy of learning Spanish completely back for me.She kept things interesting by focusing on Spanish that I would actually use in my everyday life rather than just what a textbook says you should learn. She kept things challenging by having dinners entirely in Spanish and stepping in to help whenever we got stuck. And she kept things fun by introducing us to her family and taking us all around Valencia together.She was endlessly patient with me too, repeating things again and again as I worked out what I was actually hearing. On top of all of that she is a fabulous host and a wonderful cook. Thank you for a brilliant week Pilar.

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Taking part in the Spanish immersion programme at Santiago's home in Menorca was an absolute delight. From the moment I arrived I was welcomed into his warm and cosy home and that set the tone perfectly for what turned out to be a truly immersive and personalised language learning experience.The one on one lessons were tailored to my individual needs which meant steady and meaningful progress throughout my stay. Living with a native Spanish speaker on the beautiful island of Menorca was such a unique opportunity. Daily interactions in Spanish gave me constant chances to practise and improve and Santiago's patience and encouragement made the whole process enjoyable and effective. His passion for teaching and his expertise in the language were clear in every single session.Exploring Menorca's stunning landscapes and rich culture with Santiago as a guide was a real highlight. From breathtaking beaches to historic sites I gained a much deeper appreciation for the island's history and traditions. The programme gave me an authentic experience that went so far beyond language learning and allowed me to connect with the local community in a meaningful way.If you are looking for an unforgettable way to learn Spanish while enjoying the beauty of the Balearic Islands this programme is an excellent choice. I could not recommend it more highly.

I had a fabulous time staying with Pilar in Valencia. When you start using what you have learned in the classroom or online in a real Spanish environment it just comes to life and becomes genuinely fun in a way that studying alone never quite manages.We had our lessons each morning on the beautiful terrace of Pilar's home at the foot of the hills and then headed out to one of many wonderful places to put everything into practice in the real world.Valencia is a stunning city with so much history as well as some spectacular modern landmarks. The food was absolutely fantastic throughout and everyone should try horchata and a proper local fish paella at least once in their life. The old market is also a wonderful place to pick up local delicacies and souvenirs.Pilar's home is spacious, comfortable and close to Sagunto, an ancient town with fascinating Roman history. She is a brilliant host and an inspiring teacher and I would recommend this experience to anyone.

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I spent a week in total immersion with Pilar, a Spanish teacher based near Valencia, and it was a genuinely excellent experience from start to finish.The lessons were outstanding. Pilar adapts perfectly to the level of her student and structures her classes around topics and themes that you actually choose yourself, always using current and relevant vocabulary that applies directly to everyday conversation. It never felt like studying in the traditional sense.The accommodation was perfect too. The house is spacious, calm and surrounded by nature. And beyond being a wonderful teacher Pilar is also a fantastic cook who introduces you to the real flavours of the region.In the afternoons I enjoyed walks and visits to the surrounding area with Pilar. I got to discover Valencia city and the beautiful beaches around Gilet. I would highly recommend this course to anyone looking to improve their Spanish in a warm, personal and genuinely effective setting.

I had such a wonderful experience with Monica and two other teachers that I genuinely feel lucky to have had the chance to work with all of them.As a woman travelling alone I felt completely at ease throughout the entire trip. Monica is brilliant at understanding what her students need right from the start and she addressed my career specific learning goals directly and thoughtfully. My time was filled with all kinds of different learning experiences and activities that reinforced what I was picking up in ways that felt completely natural and fun rather than anything like a classroom.The region around Dosrius and of course Barcelona is an incredible place for cultural immersion. One day I was in the mountains, the next I was by the sea, and then I was exploring the city, with beautiful pueblos and little local restaurants in between.By the time I left I was starting to actually think in Spanish which honestly amazed me. I only had one week off work but I wish I could have stayed for two. I will definitely be going back.

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I recently got back from two phenomenal weeks in Spain with Spanish Express and I honestly cannot recommend the experience highly enough. I spent the first week with Monica in Dosrius near Barcelona and the second week with Alberto and Marisol in Burgos and both were outstanding in every way.In Dosrius I stayed with Monica, her lovely parents and their two adorable golden retrievers. In Burgos I stayed with Alberto and Marisol and their daughter. Both families had comfortable, clean rooms and both went completely out of their way to make sure I had everything I needed and more.What surprised me most was the extraordinary generosity of both families. We went out for meals and tapas, did a hop on hop off bus tour of Barcelona, visited cathedrals, went to the beach, explored monasteries, attended a concert, went to Carnaval and visited all kinds of well known and lesser known spots. Having a local family show you around gives you a perspective you simply cannot get from a traditional tour and I felt like I was genuinely living Spanish life rather than just visiting.The Spanish classes themselves were also excellent and completely tailored to what I wanted to focus on. The first week I concentrated on preparing for the SIELE exam and the second week on verb tenses. And of course the immersion means you are practising Spanish throughout the day even outside of formal class time.I left feeling like I have two new families in Spain. Both families checked on me throughout the extra week I spent travelling afterwards and made sure I got home safely. I will absolutely be doing this again.

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I spent a week near Barcelona with a friend at Monica's home and it was a wonderful experience in every way. The home was immaculate and beautiful and Monica made us feel completely at home from the very first moment.We had dedicated class time but honestly spent almost the entire stay speaking Spanish which did wonders for our fluency. Monica wove us into her daily routine as well as taking us on several excursions to nearby towns and the scenery throughout was calm and gorgeous.All of our meals were home cooked by Monica's father and everything was absolutely delicious. We also had plenty of opportunities to eat out at restaurants when we felt like it which was a nice balance.We were preparing for the DELE exam and the classes provided a really solid and well structured review in the week leading up to it. Monica went above and beyond to support us in achieving our Spanish goals throughout the whole stay. I would recommend this programme one hundred percent to solo travellers and small groups alike.

Before I went to Barcelona I honestly had no idea what to expect from the experience of living and studying in my teacher's home. When I arrived I was genuinely surprised at how quickly I felt completely at home.In terms of improving my Spanish the experience was just phenomenal. I improved so much, speak more fluently and have a noticeably more sophisticated vocabulary. When you are using Spanish all the time you genuinely start to think in it. I was exposed to the language in every possible way, hearing it on the radio, watching films, speaking it to people in all kinds of real situations.Visiting the tourist landmarks of Barcelona was wonderful but I also loved exploring the small towns near Monica's house. We visited Mataro with its beautiful modernist architecture and the very first work by Gaudi. We also visited Argentona where the first tramline in Spain was built and a brilliant museum housing an extraordinary collection of jugs alongside works by Picasso.Monica's father prepared the most exquisite typical Spanish dishes for lunch and dinner throughout the week and both her parents treated me like family. Monica herself was so warm and made every single day fun and interesting.This experience is so important if you genuinely want to improve your Spanish. I cannot recommend it highly enough. It is something you will never forget.

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What an experience. We celebrated Las Fallas together, shared meals with friends and family, had private classes and it was just absolutely amazing from start to finish.I highly recommend staying with Pilar Martinez in Valencia on the SHIP programme. The beach, the sunshine, the mountain views and the full immersion in Spanish make it unlike anything else.When I arrived at the airport there was a billboard that said you survived your flight, now survive Las Fallas! And they were not wrong. I jumped about half a meter in the air the first time the fireworks went off in the streets right next to me.Pilar is a professional and experienced teacher and her passion for what she does comes through in everything. There were no downsides to this experience at all. Just go.

Spending time living and studying in your teacher's home and being surrounded by locals for 24 hours a day is genuinely one of the best decisions you can make when it comes to language learning. It boosts your independence and confidence and gives you experience that is hard to replicate in any other way. This is exactly why I chose this programme and Monica helped me enormously with business Spanish which will be so useful when I start my new job in Barcelona.As an Italian speaker I can read Spanish without too much difficulty given the close relationship between the two languages but the spoken forms are another matter entirely. Monica made sure we addressed that directly and I improved so much throughout my stay.We had a wonderful social programme with plenty of excursions and activities. I love nature and animals so Monica made sure to organise plenty of walks around the Parc del Montnegre i el Corredor, Spain's first park of silence, and I spent a great deal of happy time with Rumba and Samba, Monica's two golden retrievers who will absolutely steal your heart.I would recommend this experience to anyone, especially anyone with an Italian background who wants to build on that linguistic foundation and really unlock their Spanish.

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My first trip to Menorca ended up being one of the most memorable experiences of my life. I joined the SHIP program with Monica, the founder and director of Spanish Express, with the goal of improving my business Spanish and honestly I got so much more than I bargained for.Monica has a truly special way of teaching. Everything happened naturally and without any pressure, over coffee, walking through historic streets, visiting local spots, sharing meals, and just having real conversations in Spanish. There was no classroom and honestly none was needed.I came with a very specific goal since I work in the US and Spanish is becoming more and more important in my professional life. What surprised me was just how much my confidence, vocabulary and ability to express myself actually improved, and it all happened in such a relaxed and natural way.Menorca itself was absolutely stunning. The beaches, the turquoise water, the quiet coves, everything felt peaceful and unspoiled. Ciutadella, where Monica lives, is a gorgeous old town full of narrow streets, historic palaces, beautiful squares and architecture with centuries of stories behind it. Walking through it with someone who truly knows the place made all the difference.The food was fresh, local and delicious and every shared meal felt like another layer of the experience. I left more confident in my Spanish and with a genuine love for Menorca and its way of life. I really cannot recommend Monica and Spanish Express enough.

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During my three weeks on the programme I received top quality organised lessons that helped me directly with my A Level course while also getting the benefit of complete Spanish immersion around the clock. The improvement to my Spanish was significant and the boost to my confidence speaking it was even more so.Beyond the language itself the course gave me the chance to make new friends from all over the world including France and the US which was something I really did not expect to value as much as I did. I was also able to do sport almost every day thanks to Pilar's daughter Esmeralda who took me along to a local CrossFit gym. Training there meant even more time practising Spanish with native speakers which was brilliant for improving my listening and picking up more natural and colloquial language.Pilar also kept us brilliantly well fed with delicious home cooked meals every day and the steaks she prepared were a particular highlight. I am genuinely grateful to have had the opportunity to stay with Pilar and my new friends in Gilet and I am confident that the time I spent there is going to help me in my exams this year and in my life communicating in Spanish long after that. Muchas gracias Pilar, ojala que pueda volver muy pronto.

My immersive Spanish experience with Monica in Dosrius, right inside the Montnegre i el Corredor Natural Park, went beyond anything I had expected. The peaceful setting surrounded by nature made it so easy to focus and truly immerse myself in both the language and the culture without any distractions.What really stood out was how well the programme balanced structured learning with real life practice. We went on trips to Barcelona city centre and Mataro, the capital of El Maresme, spent time in Dosrius and explored the Costa del Maresme which is honestly a hidden gem. Every single day helped build my confidence and my fluency.Using Spanish in everyday situations, whether at local chiringuitos or along the Mediterranean coast, made everything feel completely natural and enjoyable. Discovering El Maresme with its relaxed coastal vibe and local character was one of the highlights of the whole trip.Monica and her family made me feel completely at home from day one and that warmth made the whole experience even more special. The programme is really well thought out and offers a genuinely unique and memorable way to learn Spanish.I would wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone looking for a more personal and immersive way to learn the language in Spain.

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This Easter I had the most wonderful week in Dosrius, Barcelona, as part of the SHIP immersion programme with Spanish Express. From the very first moment I arrived at Monica's house I felt completely welcomed. Her warmth, the kindness of her parents who live upstairs and the playful company of her golden retrievers Rumba and Samba made me feel right at home straight away.Sharing the experience with my classmate Paola made it even more special. We both attend David Game College in London where Monica is our Head of Spanish. Seeing her outside of school in her own environment was a real revelation. The way she balances structure with fun is genuinely inspiring and she is one of the most enjoyable people to be around. Over the week she truly became one of us.Our days were academically focused and we covered all the key content for A Level Spanish. We worked through our IRPs, practised Paper 3 themes and tackled Paper 2 with a proper deep dive into El laberinto del fauno and Como agua para chocolate. We also sharpened our translation skills which was a real highlight given Monica's expertise as a qualified translator. The pace was challenging but motivating and I left feeling genuinely prepared for my exams in June.But the experience was so much more than studying. The cultural side was just as enriching. We explored the Maresme Coast and visited towns like Argentona and Mataro which completely surprised us with its charming old town, beach and port. And Barcelona itself was a major highlight as we visited Casa Batllo, Park Guell and the Sagrada Familia, strolled through the Gothic Quarter and all the way down to La Barceloneta.Looking back this week was so much more than a revision course. It was a chance to grow academically, explore a beautiful part of Spain and bond with truly wonderful people. If you are serious about your Spanish A Levels and want an experience that goes far beyond the classroom, SHIP is absolutely the way to go.

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As a recently retired professional, I was looking for an adult study abroad experience that would help me reconnect with the Spanish I had studied in school and during my semester abroad in Seville. Spanish Express exceeded every one of my expectations.Monica designed a completely customised programme tailored to my language level, my interests and my personal goals. The one to one immersion format gave me an unparalleled opportunity to improve through constant conversation and real interaction. Rather than focusing on basic tourist Spanish, our discussions covered family, travel, art, current events, Spanish culture and everything we experienced together throughout the day.What made the programme especially effective was how naturally the learning was integrated into everyday life. We practised past, present and future tenses in real conversation, with gentle corrections woven in that helped me improve without ever interrupting the flow. The daily excursions added another wonderful layer, deepening my understanding of Spain's history, culture and contemporary society, while the structured lesson time strengthened my grammar and comprehension.For anyone looking for a meaningful and genuinely authentic way to improve their Spanish while learning about Spain and its people, I highly recommend Spanish Express. It was exactly the experience I had been searching for.

Spanish and Latin American culture are woven into so many parts of life in the United States and bilingualism is a genuine advantage for so many careers. I wanted to move further in my professional life using my Spanish and had job interviews coming up with international companies with offices in Spain, which is exactly why I chose the Spanish Homestay Immersion Programme in Barcelona.Spanish Express also has an excellent online programme that works really well alongside the in person immersion experience. Monica taught me business Spanish and helped me with my CV and interview preparation for a full year before we met face to face in Spain. During my two weeks there I improved not only my Spanish but also my understanding of how business is done in Spain, the culture, the gastronomy, the art and so much more.I highly recommend this programme to anyone who wants to advance in their career through Spanish. The combination of online preparation and real life immersion is genuinely powerful and unlike anything a conventional language school can offer.

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I left Valencia with noticeably stronger Spanish, real confidence in speaking and wonderful memories of my time with Pilar. More than anything, I came away feeling genuinely inspired to keep learning the language, which was exactly what I had hoped for going in.The experience exceeded my expectations in every possible way. Whether you are a complete beginner or an advanced learner, Pilar creates a genuinely personalised experience that combines excellent teaching, real cultural immersion and warm hospitality all in one.Some of my favourite moments were the day at the beach and cycling to the museums, where I got to test my Spanish by reading the exhibit displays. Those relaxed, real world opportunities to use the language were where I felt myself improving the most. I would wholeheartedly recommend Pilar to anyone looking for an authentic Spanish immersion. I am so grateful for the time we shared and I hope to return in the future.