Centro Catalina Hotel

Best place to learn Spanish. Great people!

I had an amazing experience with Centro Catalina and cannot recommend the organisation to anyone enough. I booked a month in Cartagena at the start of a six month trip around South America and it has been the best thing for enriching my entire South American trip. Unlike Europe, where I'm from, there aren't as many people here who speak a high level of English. A lot of people have a few words but it is difficult to interact with anyone outside of the "Gringo Trail" if you don't speak Spanish. I initially started off with one month of classes in the Cartagena school. I liked it so much that I then booked a further three weeks in the Medellín school. Both schools offer the same standard of activities, accommodation and classes but in different parts of the country, so you can experience more of Colombia in your time with the school. The academic side of things is brilliant as they teach at a very high standard. They recognise how the students react in class and are happy to change your level if you need to. All of the teachers are well qualified and make the whole learning experience both fun and interesting. The extra-curricular activities that are organised by both schools are fantastic. They're a great way to practice your Spanish as well as make friends with other students from all over the world. The staff often spend a lot of time with the students too and this gives you a better insight into the Colombian way of living.

Excellent Spanish school. I'm fairly advanced and both the teachers I had in Cartagena and now here in Medellín have been excellent. I was pleasantly surprised they were still able to work with me and find areas I was weak in.