I have taken online Spanish classes with Nidia twice per week for around nine months and have really enjoyed it. Nidia is a fantastic teacher and my Spanish has improved considerably since I started taking classes with her. I heard about this school after seeing the good reviews while I was visiting Antigua and was able to visit in person before signing up for online classes. If I have the opportunity to go back to Antigua, I'd take in-person classes in a heartbeat as well.

Have been studying with this school online for the last few months and my teacher Nidia is amazing! She’s super patient & kind and we have so much fun in our classes! Lots of variety in different excercises and activities we’ve done. I’ve tried lots of Spanish teachers and Nidia is by far the best Spanish teacher I’ve had!

Obviously everyone has different abilities and expectations, and I see that for their immersion program, there are a lot of positive experiences. This review is for their online instruction and after a period of several months’ time trying to work with them.

I tend to like rigorous, organized high quality instruction in most things, and I found that for their online classes, they a) don't have a lot of experienced instructors, and b) tend to be disorganized. It could be that their IRL experience is better but it is difficult to get in touch with the school directly (WhatsApp, email, phone calls), so I am unsure.

When I was paired with an experienced instructor, I found she doesn’t fully read or understand my emails - she misses meeting times, my preferred meet links, forgets to send notes after class, doesn’t respond to confirm future lesson schedules, doesn’t respond promptly so by the time she’s reached back out my schedule has changed - then makes it difficult to accommodate my new schedule. Part of it is a language related miscommunication, and I’d like to think part of it is cultural, but a school that teaches Spanish as a second language should be able to accommodate for that (it would need better communication skills, ie triple confirming with a calendar invite etc). They gave me an intro with another instructor, but she was young and inexperienced. When I asked for someone experienced like the other instructor, they said they don’t have anyone else.

So i scheduled with the other one again hoping we could make it work. She is a great instructor for the hour I have her. Unfortunately, chasing her is still really draining. It’s disappointing because the basics of having online classes is: scheduling, showing up to class, sending the notes/homework.

I found another Guatemalan instructor that spends a lot of time between sessions designing a slide deck and plan for our lesson and sends me homework in between - she asks for the same fee. That’s a big gap between what I’m experiencing here and elsewhere.

I liked my instructor so much that I still asked them to help me improve the situation (responsiveness, a better process - anything to make things feel less difficult) - you never know what personal things people are dealing with and she could have any number of personal issues going on that I’m not privy to. If not, I’ve asked for a refund.

They all seem really lovely, just either dealing with some issue I’m unaware of or unprepared for a digital version of their instruction with foreigners who are used to having things organized and predictable. This is just my experience, but many others may have a positive experience or not have issues with the same things!

Update: the school owners reached out to me and were very kind, offered a refund and some free lessons to make up the headache. They also are doing an investigation into things. However the instructor emailed me separately four times asking me to take down this review. I will report back depending on how it goes with another instructor!

My experience at Antigueña Spanish Academy was truly wonderful. The school’s location is beautiful, with classes held in a peaceful garden that made learning Spanish feel relaxed and enjoyable. From the very beginning, my host family made me feel incredibly welcome, and the delicious homemade meals were a highlight of my stay. The academy’s one-on-one lessons were exceptional and allowed me to make real progress in a short time. I was especially grateful for my awesome teacher, Blanca, whose teaching methods were clear, engaging, and effective. She is not only an excellent teacher but also fun, patient, and encouraging, which made every class something I looked forward to. I highly recommend the Antigueña Spanish Academy to anyone wanting an immersive and meaningful Spanish-learning experience.

Nunca olvidaré las tres semanas que pasé aquí. Estudié con la profesora Delia en un jardín precioso. ¡Aprendí español rapidísimo!