Review Bob Cohen

I thoroughly enjoyed my time at Ilesa in Costa Rica for a four-day individual tutoring session and home-stay. My entire visit exceeded my expectations with a quality instructor, welcoming staff, comfortable campus, friendly and welcoming home-stay host arranged through the school. From the moment I arrived in San Jose at the airport and met my driver, I felt that I was a welcome guest. As a new speaker of Spanish (I had only used it occasionally in the US and had a few days of Spanish lessons) I felt my vocabulary and comprehension increase rapidly. I was in Costa Rica to learn about living and retiring abroad and the staff and Edy my instructor were helpful in sharing some advice about the city. The school arranged for a Salsa lesson for me and one other student while I was there and for a tour of historic San Jose’s downtown area where I learned about how locals lived and some of the country’s history and culture.

The school recommended a private tutoring session since I was only staying for one week and wanted to take a day tour (also arranged by the school) to visit a coffee plantation, natural habitat preserve, and volcano and we had clear weather the whole tour and a bi-lingual guide, so I started picking up more Spanish. I had some free time in the evenings so I asked the school if they could arrange for some evening lessons and they were able to do it the same day.

The other students were friendly and approachable, and my other home-stay guest offered to show me the fitness center he located. I’d recommend Ilesa for a language student of any age and experience and the opportunity to get connected with others while learning Spanish or your language of choice.

Bob Cohen