ACADEMIA HISPANO AMERICANA - 37700 San Miguel de Allende

The school has very good teachers and beautiful grounds and is centrally located. However, San Miguel itself is loaded with many smug retirees who like being big fish in a little pond, and many come to this school. I did not enjoy my classes for this reason. Never again to SM. See the real Mexico, not this sanitized version thick with tourists.

Classes were not only a great tool for improving my Spanish but they were also a fun way to meet students of all ages from around the world. As well as a wide selection of Spanish and culture classes, the school offers salsa classes, cooking classes, cumbia, and excursions to various amazing sights in the state of Guanajuato. Teachers are talented at teaching and are all locals (I took intermediate classes and was very impressed with the teachers and the curriculum). Classes are small-- mine was the largest in the school at the time with 9 students. If you want more help they offer private classes which I've only heard good things about. The family I stayed with was very nice and my host mom Mari was an amazing cook. A lot of what I learned and solidified was actually during the meals with the family. I 100% recommend staying with a host family when you visit. An overall exciting, unforgitable experience!

The instructors are very good (well trained, humorous, varied activities), the course material is of high quality and the setting is"historic-very pleasant". The optional activities (cooking, dancing, history - all taught in Spanish) were fun and well worth it. The overall organization of the school and programs is excellent. The homestays were good and many students found nice B&B or hotel accommodation. The location of the school and homestays is terrific and the city itself is a great pleasure to stay in.

This school was a great experience. I chose to take a full day’s worth of classes which meant that beyond book-based, classroom learning, conversation and grammar I had several classes in Spanish about Mexican history and culture. The teachers were smart, interesting and,in many cases, rather funny. I met a lot of different people in my classes and enjoyed the company of other students during the optional weekly cooking classes (in Spanish of course) and field trips to local cities and sites. As with any type of coursework, what you get out of it is commensurate with your effort. For me, over four weeks, I re-established the basics of intermediate Spanish (after 20 years) and then went beyond in my understanding due to the focus on grammar and the extensive conversation. I also met some really interesting people. Would do it again if I’m ever presented with the opportunity.

If you want to get a college language credit and stay in a beautiful place, do go to this school. I enrolled but did not attend this school because I heard from other local Spanish teachers that this school is very focused on book learning, and I wanted to practice speaking. Even when I wrote emails in Spanish, I was responded to in English, and it was the same in person. There didn't seem to be any encouragement for me to practice speaking. The city of San Miguel is beautiful and so is the school, but they are mostly American students and there are a lot of American tourists in the city. Also, know that if you choose to pay for a host family, you may end up with what is more like a hotel. The families host as a full time job, it seems. When I arrived at the family I was meant to stay with, there were 4 other students, all speaking English and being served lunch by a family member. Just my limited experience.

Just completed two weeks at AHA. It was wonderful. The teachers are great and very patient. I only wish I could have stayed for longer as two weeks is just enough to really begin learning. I've tried other schools in San Miguel de Allende and they have some good and bad but AHA is all good. It is a great price, has thoughtful and helpful instructors and really cares. There is a reason it has been around for 60-years as it is really the best. I highly recommend Academia Hispano Ameriana.

I spent four weeks attending this school and would recommend it to anyone wanting formal schooling in Spanish. It is an immersion program, so the instructors are teaching in Spanish only. I would return. I can not compare this type of system to any other as I do not have experience with any but this program, but I am happy with the foundation I gained and see it as a great start for my learning the language. The instructors and staff are all friendly and welcoming.

I would highly recommend this school to anyone interested in learning Spanish and more about the Mexican culture. The courses they offer are to gauged to the level of the students and all of the teachers and staff were extremely knowledgeable, charismatic, and helpful. in addition to regular Spanish classes, they offer cooking classes, field trips, advice on where to visit, dancing, and opportunities to meet a wide range of interesting individuals during your time in San Miguel.