Recommendations

A Lesson Is a Journey—Knowledge Is A Landscape

We take pride in the fact that we are so highly recommended by our former students. We have also been cited on several prestigious websites, and in popular guidebooks about Guatemala.

Click here: Don Pedro de Alvarado Spanish School, Antigua Guatemala | Facebook and you can read comments made by our students and also contact them direct. There are more than 100 former students who are Fans of our Facebook page. This is one of the best ways to learn about our school. You may participate in Discussions about the school and its programs and activities, and you can view recent photos taken in the school and watch our video.

Student Recommedations

The best way to learn about us is to make contact with our former students. Please read the following student references. Each of these former students has indicated that they are happy to receive email enquiries from prospective students.

Feel free to write to them to ask questions about the school.

I have recently returned from studying Spanish in Antigua Guatemala, and I would like to recommend my school as one of the very best in Antigua. I studied at the Don Pedro de Alvarado Spanish School in Antigua. It is located right next door to La Merced Church, in a central and convenient location. My teachers were wonderful; I studied there for four hours per day for two months. The total immersion method was used to great effect, and we studied all four areas of language (speaking was most important, but we also concentrated on listening, reading, writing at one time or another). The teachers were patient and well versed in their subject, and they always corrected when necessary without ruining the flow. I stayed with a Guatemalan family the whole time I was there. They were also wonderful, and really made me feel a part of the family! The meals were wholesome and the food plentiful. The house was clean and tidy, and I enjoyed my interactions with them immensely. The added bonus was that I always had the opportunity to practice what I had learned in class, thus furthering my ability to speak the language. They were also very patient with me! The activities provided by the school were really good fun as well. I enjoyed the salsa dancing lessons (given by a professional dance teacher) every Tuesday evening and also the weekly fiesta on Thursday evening. During these fiestas, we had the opportunity to continue speaking Spanish with the many people who attended; both students and friends from outside the school. The administrators were wonderful as well. Caty Galindo, the Director, did everything she possibly could to make my stay with them as productive and comfortable as possible. She cooked for the fiesta each Thursday evening and her cooking was a real treat! It was fun to sample the local cuisine in this way; 'carne asada' with 'chirmol' and 'guacamole' was a real favourite! The environment of the school is very beautiful and well taken care of as well. It is an easy, relaxing place to study. I really looked forward to going to class each morning. Now that I am back in England I find that I am missing the school and the lifestyle there very much. I hope that I have managed to convey my delight with my studies at the Don Pedro de Alvarado Spanish School. Please let me know how I can formally nominate my school for a place on your website. Thank you very much! Sincerely, Anne Groombridge. Cheddar, Somerset, UK.
Anne Groombridge annegroombridge@yahoo.co.uk

I recommend this school wholeheartedly. After being here for three months I've heard a lot of stories of students from other schools and I came to the point that this small school is the best one in Antigua! If you are looking for a friendly, personal, fun and good school this is the one.
Lilla Nikolics kakr5aa@facebookmail.com

I greatly enjoyed my time at Don Pedro Spanish School. My teacher, Caty, was wonderful. I did not know any Spanish before coming to Antigua, but after one week I learned sufficient Spanish to be able to describe myself, ask for directions, shop in the mercado, and much more. The salsa classes with Herman were also great fun! Thank you all so much. I had a great time and I plan to come back next year.
Catherine le Clerc, du Quebec, Canada
Catherine Le Clerc cleclerc12@yahoo.com

I would recommend Don Pedro de Alvarado Spanish School to anybody who is looking for fun, adventure, and a chance to learn a new language in a completely fantastic place! My friend had already studied at Don Pedro Spanish School for a month, and she was planning a to go back again, so she asked me to go with her to Antigua Guatemala. I was a little bit nervous, but I found the registration process very easy via the school website, and any questions I had before I went were answered promptly. The Assistant to the Program Director, Anne, was very helpful and spoke and wrote in English very well. The school shuttle was there to pick us up when we arrived at the airport in Guatemala City, and when we got to Antigua we met by Caty Galindo, the Program Director, and had a tour of the school. It was beautiful! Then we went to meet our local host family. The family was the same one who my friend had stayed with before, and they were really glad to see her again and to meet me too. I couldn't wait until I could speak some Spanish so that I could talk to them! Our room was big, the beds were really comfortable, and we had our own private bathroom. It was a lot better than I thought it would be!
After breakast the next morning we started our lessons. We each had our own teacher. I never spoke a word of Spanish before I came to Antigua, but I could say a few basic things even after the first lesson, which lasted four hours. My teacher was wonderful, and really patient with me. She knew just what I needed to learn, and encouraged me so that slowly I picked it up. We had lessons in the gardens every morning, then after lunch we had activities outside of the school. We could choose from things like climbing volcanoes, visiting local Mayan markets, going to see a coffee farm, and going mountain biking. We had salsa dancing lessons one evening, and we had a fiesta one afternoon. Caty cooked a typical Guatemalan lunch and we students helped her; we made tortillas over an open fire. We all ate together, and danced, and had a great afternoon!
During the second week, in the afternoons after classes, my friend and I went to volunteer at a school just outside Antigua that is run by a charity. We read books to the children in simple Spanish, which I could do by then, and we taught some English to the older children. It was great to see people in their normal environment, and it was satisfying to be able to help out a little.
My experience at Don Pedro de Alvarado Spanish School was unforgettable. I will definitely go back to Antigua again to continue to study of Spanish. I feel like I've made lots of friends there, including Caty, my teacher Lety, and the members of my host family. I would encourage anybody who might be thinking about studying Spanish in Guatemala to strongly consider going to this school.
Savannah Rose, Charleston, South Carolina, USA
Savannah Rose savannah.rose@live.com

I very much enjoyed my 2 weeks at the Don Pedro de Alvarado Spanish School. They have AWESOME teachers. The one-on-one focus is great whether you are a beginner to the Spanish language, or have some knowledge already. The school offers great tours... and other services to make your immersion experience complete. I HIGHLY recommend it to anyone going to Antigua. Gracias Caty, Leticia, y Rosa.
Travis McElroy,Los Angeles, USA
Travis McElroy Travis McElroy

I am writing to recommend Don Pedro de Alvarado Spanish School as a very good option if you are looking for a place to learn Spanish. The school itself is remarkable; the gardens are colorful and well kept, and provide a peaceful atmosphere in which to concentrate on what is being taught. My teacher was organized, and completely aware of how to go about pushing forward my existing skills. She has been teaching at Don Pedro Spanish School for many years, and is adept with the method she employs. I myself am a former teacher, and so know the importance of this sort of approach. In my case, I can attest to the effectiveness of her methods. I am a much more competent speaker of Spanish after my course of study with Betty. I am retired now and will be getting out of Michigan winters in the future, staying in Antigua, and it is essential for me to know the language to live comfortably in this magnificent city. Whilst I was not able to participate in some of the activities offered each afternoon, such as the climb to the summit of the local volcano, I was happy to have the opportunity to visit local villages and markets, and I found the excursion to a local coffee finca to be most interesting. There were other retirees studying at Don Pedro Spanish School during my own course, and it was very nice to be able to make some new friends as a result. The Director, Caty Galindo, is a lovely, warm person and made me feel very welcome. As a lifelong resident of Antigua, Caty was also a good resource for me in terms of getting to know my way around the town. Caty also helped me to find an apartment to rent. I would recommend Don Pedro Spanish School to people of all ages.
Anne Marie Gerhardt, Michigan, USA
Anne Gerhardt annemariegerhardt@live.com

I would absolutely recommend Don Pedro de Alvarado Spanish School. The first time I arrived in Guatemala my plane was three hours late and I spoke no Spanish. I was terrified that the transportation I had arranged through the school would not be at the airport to pick me up. As I walked out of customs there was a man holding a sign with my name. I was very impressed from the start and continued to be impressed throughout my time at the school. I have studied there twice and hope to return again. The school is smaller and the classes take place in a garden. The staff is terrific and will go out of their way to make your stay in Guatemala a great one.
Audra Popovich Portsmouth, OH,USA
Audra Popovich Audra Popovich

I had a fantastic time here at Don Pedro Spanish School; I would recommend this school to anyone. Claudia was my teacher. She was very helpful and lots of fun to work with. She was the best language teacher that I have ever had. I hope to come back to Antigua Guatemala and study at Don Pedro de Alvarado Spanish School sometime again in the future.
Eddy, Calgary, Canada
Eddy edy1570@yahoo.com

I would recommend this school without hesitation ; as an airline pilot I was traveling standby, and the day I was to leave for Guatemala, Denver had a huge snowstorm and I couldn't get out. I emailed the school, and they were extremely helpful. They changed everything to a day later, and my transportation was waiting when I showed up the next day. They made it so easy, and the same when I asked if I could stay longer. I offered to pay for the missed days, but they said it was no problem and just worked with me. Not too many places offer that kind of customer service anymore.
Katie Smith, USA
Katie Smith Noonesfo@aol.com

This is such a brilliant school, and I will recommend it to everyone!! I miss you all alot, and cannot wait to see you again in January 2010 - especially for lunch ; Muchas gracias Caty, Lety, Claudia, Celena (? ) y todos los maestros! (y el perro y German tambien;) abrazos!
Ida Heland ,Bryne, Norway
Ida Heland ida_hetland@hotmail.com

I studied at Don Pedro de Alvarado Spanish School for two weeks in January 2009. I had a great time. My teacher was Betty. She was very good. She was experienced. She was demanding. She is the best Spanish teacher I have ever had. We used several books to emphasis the areas that I wanted to cover. When I went to Antigua, I wanted to learn more than just the present tense and I wanted to focus on conversational skills. When I left, I could converse in the preterit, imperfect, future and conditional tenses. I had never done that before. Most of my homework was in a book called: The Ultimate Spanish Review and Practice. By Ronni Gordon. I stayed with Irma Guerra and her family. Good family. Good food. Very clean. Very friendly. I plan to stay with them when I return. I did not participate in all the school activities but the ones I did I enjoyed. I visited a coffee farm, a nut farm, learned to salsa dance and learned some traditional Guatemalian cooking. Once Caty, the school director, helped me shop for a small Guatemalian flag.
Finally I found Guatemala to be a beautiful country The people were very friendly I would encourage others to visit.
Phillip Moore , USA
Phillip Moore Phillip Moore
You may want to check blog at I have talked about my time at Don Pedro.
http://phillipmoore.webs.com/apps/blog/show/732060-selecting-a-ool-in-guatemala

While studying at Don Pedro de Alvarado, I spent my afternoons volunteering at Casa Jackson in San Felipe. Volunteering at Casa Jackson was one of the most rewarding and valuable things I have experienced. The volunteers were well coordinated and the children are beyond amazing. Whether I was feeding a child or pitching in with the laundry, I enjoyed every minute working at the hospital and plan to return soon!
Audra Popovich ,USA
Audra Popovich monkeycrazy@hotmail.com

A great way to learn spanish,muchas gracias por todo.
Pascal ,Paris, France
Pascal Pascal Chesnoy

We are proud of being recommended by the following famous travel guides:

- Lonely Planet Guatemala (1st and 2nd edition)
- Footprint Mexico & Guatemala
”20 years of experience” (meanwhile 27 years!)
- Stefan Loose Travel Handbuch (German)
”old-established and popular Spanish school”
- Let’s Go
- American Handbook
- Guide du Routard (French)

We are the only 5-star rated Spanish School in Antigua on www.123teachme.com
Ratings were all made by former students.

Our school is a member of the Guatemalan Chamber of Tourism (CAMTUR). Aside from that we are authorized by the Ministry of Education and the Guatemalan Tourist Board (INGUAT)