Hi Folks!

I have 3 weeks in January 2010 and I want to head to central america to get my spanish to fluent level (i'm intermediate-advanced now).

Not sure where I should go: Guatemala seems to have a lot of schools, but none that are near the beach for my timeframe (closest is a 2 hour drive away)
While that's still an option, I was thinking of Costa Rica and Mexico as well due to water proximity.

Where do you think the best place would be for me to go to do a homestay, learn spanish...and maybe learn to surf, finish my diving certifications in the process.

(If i'm being too idealistic, PLEASE give me a reality check - I don't know the logistics of a trip like this)

If it's not possible, Guatemala seems INCREDIBLE for a land-only trip so I won't mind.

Has anyone here studied spanish in Central america?
If not has anyone here done a homestay situation in guatemala or other place in central america?

Thanks!

You'll have to pick surfing or diving. In Central America and Mexico, the conditions that make for good surfing tend to kill the visibility for diving. Bocas del Toro, Panama is an exception sometimes, but visibility is very unpredictable there. English is just as widely spoken as Spanish there though.

You might want to look into Nicaragua. San Juan del Sur has Spanish schools and surfing. Playa del Coco is about two hours south in Costa Rica, with a few dive shops. Diving isn't spectacular there, but not terrible either. Tamarindo, CR has lots of surf schools, but caters so heavily to English-speaking tourists that you won't have anything approaching immersion. Leon, Nicaragua would be an outstanding place to study Spanish, and is a taxi ride from surf breaks at Poneloya.

Another idea would be to study Spanish in Merida, Mexico, and finish your dive certification in Tulum or Playa del Carmen, a few hours away. Merida is a gorgeous city to spend time, and it would be easy to immerse yourself in Spanish there. Tulum and PdC have some of the best diving in the Americas (off Cozumel) - both are about 5 hours from Merida.

Errrr....You can dive in Quepos...and then take a bus down the road on the same coast to surf in a handful of surf towns south of Manuel Antonio....Easily done, and I have experience in this area. This is not anecdotal.

The problem is that the diving is very unsatisfying, and so is the surf. We DID chase a pod of dolphins. But in the actual dive, the coral is bland and mostly dead, the water I dove in was VERY shallow. The surf south of Manuel Antonio was training level, which may suit you.

Good Luck Out There....Or GLOT

D

Hi Danyelle,

I would suggest you consider my hometown, Montezuma, in Costa Rica. It´s a scruffy little town set in the most spectacular surroundings, it´s so laid back and you can achieve most if not all of your goals here. I suspect the best thing for you would be the escuela del sol http://www.laescueladelsol.com/ which offers programmes combining surfing, diving and spanish lessons. However, it is far from an immersion course (very relaxed lessons and lots of other english speaking students). It is also pretty expensive.

Alternatively you could stay with us at Casas Colibri. We offer spanish lessons (intensity depends on how hard you want to work!) and can organise surfing and diving lessons with local operators. It´s a very beautiful spot... if you´re interested you can find us at www.casascolibri.homestead.com.

Bets,
Sarah

Your best bets are probably going to be Mexico or C.R. As much as I love Guatemala, I cannot recommend it for its diving or surfing. The best diving area of Guatemala has been known as Belize for quite a few decades now. There are some great waves on the Pacific side, but the undertow can literally be a killer. Our beaches are for just relaxing and enjoying great seafood.

I recommend Guatemala for intensive Spanish lessons.

San Pedro in Lago Atitlan doesn't have much of a beach, but the lake sure is gorgeous.

The schools in Mexico are more expensive and deliver less. Still, there's no law against two weeks of spanish in Quetzaltengango , then popping to Tikal for a great end.
Or even flying into guat city, go to Tikal, then go by bus to Cancun for a few days of beaching.

If you want just plain diving, there is honduras and Utila/Roatan.

You can study Spanish on Utila or in La Ceiba... or pretty much any other place that foreigners congregate in C.A. these days. I think you might be able to find some diving there...

I also agree, though, that the best quality will probably be found in Xela, Guatemala.

Bideshi wrote:You can study Spanish on Utila or in La Ceiba... or pretty much any other place that foreigners congregate in C.A. these days. I think you might be able to find some diving there...

I also agree, though, that the best quality will probably be found in Xela, Guatemala.

Utila is English-speaking though - it would be like studying Spanish in Belize.