A friend and I made the somewhat spontaneous decision to attend LEDS based solely on internet research and the reviews from other students here on tripadvisor. We had no idea what we were getting into, but it turned out to be one of the best choices either of us ever made! We stayed for 4 weeks, and could have easily stayed another 4!

Montezuma itself is a beautiful, peaceful and laid back town (with drinks and dancing nightly as well!), full of warm and welcoming people - Locals and travelers alike. El Tajalin, the hotel where LEDS is located, was very clean and secure. The open-air upper level with hammocks is the perfect gathering place for the new friends you will inevitably make, or a place to relax, rest and study on your own.

No matter how amazing a place is, however, it is the people you meet there that really make the experience. I can not say enough about the friends I got to know at LEDS. I was surprised to find that I really didn't encounter Jeremy or talk with him at all in the month that I was there. He was very helpful via email, but I expected him to do more with the students as well. Aside from that, the hotel staff members were extremely friendly and helpful, always ready to help set up an excursion, answer questions, or just relax and chat. Between the two of us, my friend and I took surf, poi, yoga and Spanish. I found all of our teachers to be not only patient & competent instructors, but wonderful people as well. I could not have hand-picked a better crew. It is easy to see that Wendy, Eli and everyone else genuinely care about each of their students. Every day, I did as much laughing as learning! However, the man that deserves the most thanks and the biggest round of applause is Pablo. I guess his official job title is surf instructor and "General Manager," but he is so much more than that! Pablo's smiling face, along with his warm and relaxed energy made us all feel comfortable and welcome when we first met as a group. He was there every day with a laugh, an encouraging word, or a bit of his trademark Pablo wisdom. I did not take surf classes myself, but I was fortunate enough to watch him in action a few times anyway. As a fellow teacher, I can say he does a phenomenal job with that as well. He seems to do it all - always happy as long as his students are happy. Thank you Pablo! The LEDS experience would not have been the same without you!

The month I spent in Montezuma as a student at La Escuela del Sol was the most unique and adventurous, yet tranquil and enlightening experience of my life. I just bought my tickets to return to Montezuma in a few months!

Nestled in the small beach and surf town of Montezuma, Costa Rica is La Escuela del Sol (LEDS). Prior to going to the Pacific Coast, I had spent a month in San Jose, perfecting my Spanish. I was greatly looking forward to taking more Spanish courses on the beach, while relaxing at the end of my trip. The hotel is in great condition and has all the amenities you could need. It's a block from everything, but you can say the same about everything in Montezuma. The walk to the hotel is spotted by Iguanas, crabs, nameless lizards and if you're lucky, maybe a monkey. The whole place is teeming with wildlife. Spanish was my main focus, but I also thought it would be fun to take surfing. While at LEDS, I discovered an unknown passion for surf and within two short weeks I was steering, catching every wave and realizing what I'm sure will be a life-long hobby. Pablo and Blue, my two surf instructors were amazing. They both have great perspectives and are patient while instructing. I couldn't believe that I was able to stand on the board on the first day. The staff is world class and I would recommend it to everyone. I went during the off-season, so I received a lot of individual attention. If you're looking for a social-group experience, go during the on-season. I'm already planning another vacation to Montezuma.

La Escuela Del Sol, Jeremy, Guermo and Andrea were awesome! We only had one week in Costa Rica but we were able to pack the time with fun, adventurous activities thanks to La Escuella Del Sol. We learned how to surf from an amazing surf instructor (Guermo), we learned poi (fire spinning) from Andrea and Jeremy AND they scheduled a zip line tour for us as well. They took care of all the arrangements for us. If you are planning a trip to Costa Rica and want to: learn to surf, or learn how to scuba dive, or learn Spanish or learn how to spin fire (poi), do a zip line tour or all of the above, then you should contact La Escuela Del Sol. THEY ROCK!!!

My trip to Montezuma with La Escuela Del Sol was the most wonderful trip of my life. I don’t even know where to begin. I went for Spanish and surfing classes. Since contacting LEDS months before my trip, Jeremy and Rebeca, in the office, were always informative and easy to reach by email. I was to take my Spanish class for college credit so there was some administrative work that Jeremy helped me work through. Jeremy helped me get that taken care of and answered any question I had. The town of Montezuma is one of the coolest, most friendly, beautiful places I have ever been and will always have a place in my heart. I went by myself so I was a little nervous but as it turns out there were several other solo travelers, from all over the world going through the LEDS program. I have only been back a few weeks and have already chatted through email and facebook with some of my LEDS friends. My Spanish instructors, Wendy and Adrianna were excellent. I am a beginning Spanish student but have had a few classes. I feel like my Spanish is really coming together after working with them, they are very patient and did an excellent job of helping me put things together so that towards the end of my trip I was having real Spanish conversations! Also, LEDS offers several class levels, so they can teach advanced students as well. The surf classes were a blast! My instructors Pablo and Blue were so much fun to learn from. The beach that LEDS uses is a great beach, the waves were really good while I was there but the beach is secluded so you don’t have to worry about being embarrassed about wiping out, haha. I had taken lessons in San Diego before and felt like I was going to run someone over it was so crowded. That is not the case in Montezuma at all.Pablo and Blue stayed in the water with us the entire time, giving constant advice and feedback. I went from barely being able to get on a wave to doing some real surfing! I am so glad I took this trip and am already figuring out when I can get back. Thank you so much La Escuela Del Sol! Pura Vida! Matt M