Hi, I have just gone through the experience of finding the best place to study Spanish and have just completed my course so thought I would share the experience with you. I hope it is of help.

I have spent the past 4 weeks studying at Educacion para Todos in Quetzeltenango with my husband. My original reason for choosing this school was that they were very informative and professional both on their website and in my constant questions before leaving the UK. They were also happy to tailor make the course according to our needs.

The experience at the school has exceeded our expectations. My husband and I both have very different levels of Spanish and the school has tailor made the tuition according to our ability and our future needs. They have also introduced us to Voluntary work that has enabled us to be fully immersed in the community and enabled us to form some good friendships with Guatemaltecos rather than just Gringoes!! We have also been impressed with the amount of extra corricular actrivites made available to us, from film evenings, to trips to Mayan ruins, to International dinners to share with students and teachers alike our different customs and ideas. Although my intention was to come to Guatemala to learn Spanish, we have learnt so much more. We have learnt about the history, the geography, the culture both historically and contemporary, something I did not expect before coming here.

To give you a snapshot of what we have expérienced I have included a link which provides a presentation of photos including school activities etc to elaborate upon what we have been offered http://www.spanishschools.biz/xela/. This is just one page of their website. For full information on the school, just go to http://www.spanishschools.biz. If you want any more info on this, please do not hesitate to contact me on this email address.

In my blog i have a database of spanish schools and volunteerings..
good luck
http://members.virtualtourist.com/pedroebc

pedro

I thought I'd add my two cents, for what it's worth.

I am a 24-year-old Cleveland, Ohio native currently studying at La Catalina Natural Language School in La Manzanilla on Mexico's Pacific Coast. I discovered the school trawling the web, and I was hooked by the uncanny beauty of the town and several unique aspects of La Catalina's Spanish immersion programs.

The best view in town is actually from the open-air classroom I study in -- a panorama of the ocean, mountains, and palms. It's conducive to learning, to say the least. As for the Spanish program itself, La Catalina personalized a program for me to include a homestay with a local family, a volunteer opportunity in the community, and guided trips to local attractions. I've learned a great deal of Spanish, a lot of it outside the classroom!

I highly recommend the program if you're looking for a personal Spanish immersion experience in a tropical paradise (a cliche, to be sure, but it fits in this case!). Visit their website for more info at www.lacatalinaschool.com.
I hope this has been helpful to you!

Jesse