Mexico
Central Mexico and Gulf Coast
Guanajuato
San Miguel de Allende
Things to Do in San Miguel de Allende
Academia Hispano Americana

Academia Hispano Americana, San Miguel de Allende: Hours, Address, Academia Hispano Americana Reviews: 4.5/5

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Academia Hispano Americana

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Academia Hispano Americana
4.5
93
#12 of 45 Classes & Workshops in San Miguel de Allende
Universities & Schools • Lessons & Workshops
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8:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Monday
8:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Tuesday
8:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Wednesday
8:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Thursday
8:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Friday
8:00 AM - 4:30 PM
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About
Established in 1959, we are proud to be the first Spanish Language school in San Miguel de Allende to specialize in teaching Spanish as a second language.
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Restaurants
531 within 3 miles
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Attractions
101 within 6 miles
Photographic Gallery SMA
7
121 ftArt Galleries
Doce 18
105
179 ftShopping Malls
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128
303 ftArt Galleries
El Jardin
1,064
469 ftPoints of Interest & Landmarks • Historic Walking Areas
Public Library (Biblioteca Publica)
676
432 ftLibraries
Parroquia de San Miguel Arcangel
3,257
0.1 miArchitectural Buildings • Churches & Cathedrals
Zocalo
511
0.1 miPoints of Interest & Landmarks
Church of San Francisco (Iglesia de San Francisco)
181
0.1 miReligious Sites
Ignacio Allende House (Casa de Ignacio Allende)
237
0.1 miHistory Museums
Bellas Artes
186
0.1 miArchitectural Buildings
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
93 reviews
Excellent
74
Very good
15
Average
1
Poor
2
Terrible
1
Ann C
1 contribution
It met my needs and I met my goals
I spent the month of January 2020 at AHA in an intensive Spanish immersion program staying with a San Miguel family. It was a great experience. I had just retired and wanted to get a jump start on speaking Spanish as several of my grandchildren will be Spanish speaking. It was a marvelous experience and Jorge, the registrar, worked with each student to ensure that we were in the right class level. The weekend excursions organized through AHA were lots of fun as well as educational. Don’t forget to sign up for the Friday cooking classes.
Written April 13, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
TX4Traveling
San Miguel de Allende, Mexico84 contributions
Spanish Immersion in 300 year old home with fantastic staff!!! Pick AHA
I have been in San Miguel de Allende (SMA) for just over a year and have studied immersion Spanish at the Academia Hispano Americana (AHA) off and on for five months - mostly three hours daily though for two months I studied four hours a day to add conversation and grammar (you can also add pronunciation, folkloric dancing or afternoon seminars on history or the culture).

A new language is hard work, but working with the teachers, and through some personal study, I am proud to have achieved Level 4 and even more proud to be able to have conversations in Spanish with my neighbors and service people and friends. And speaking of friends, I made some great friends at AHA and the staff feels like family.

It's a great place to learn and have fun!

If you are willing to work at it, the teachers at AHA will work with you to make you successful.
Written March 1, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
AcademiaHA
Thank you very much for your good comments.
Written March 4, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
ann
Pasadena, CA2 contributions
The most fun I’ve had learning!
Solo
I took an intermediate course for 2 weeks and my Spanish improved a remarkable amount. I can’t find the words to describe how wonderful Academia Hispano Americana is. Every teacher there is not only a good teacher, but a kind and interesting person. Jorge, who is the director, is lovely and patient with our language stumbles. I will go back next time I’m in San Miguel (which I hope is soon) and I’ll look forward to learning more Spanish, taking the Friday cooking classes, and drinking the unbelievably good cafe de olla.
Written August 9, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Evelyn G
7 contributions
Great experience at AHA!
Solo
What a lovely place to engage in Spanish immersion classes. The setting is lovely and all of the teachers are excellent. Top notch instruction with wonderful camaraderie between staff and students, and students themselves. All ages and walks of life. I learned an unbelievable amount in 4 weeks of level 1 and will be back next spring for Level 2 and beyond. The director Jorge has a wonderful sense of humor. I definitely worked hard but it was also fun! Can’t say enough good things about the AHA experience.
Written October 15, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
bryanac23
Texas83 contributions
AHA vs. Habla Hispana
Couples
I'm sad that it took us this long to write a review of our comparison of these two schools. We spent two months in 2012 at Habla Hispana & three months in the summer of 2013 at AHA. Both schools have excellent teachers & facilities. They both teach in an immersion style, which seems to be the most beneficial. Our recommendation for deciding which school to attend really comes down to how much time you can spend in school. HH has only 3 levels so if you can only spend a short amount of time in a Spanish program it would be the better choice. If you can spend more time (> 1 month) then AHA is the superior program. AHA has 6 levels (each a month long) but because more time is allotted the material is much easier to comprehend & stick. AHA also has supplemental classes that are interesting and beneficial. I took the month long pronunciation class. I had never been able to roll my r's, despite all the previous classes & tutors, & had been told that I would never be able to but after this class I can! AHA is also set up to earn college credit. In fact, I believe if a student takes the full course then it counts as a minor in Spanish. So, if time permits, AHA is the way to go but whichever program you choose please highly consider the homestay. We stayed with Marina & Ernesto during both programs & could not have had a better homestay! We would hear stories from other students about meager meals & rooms at other homestays but this was never the case with Marina. She cooked us 3 amazing meals everyday (she even teaches cooking on the side). They are so kind & fun. We often played games with them & they occasionally took us on neat excursions about town. Sorry this is so long, but feel free to contact us with any questions regarding the programs, homestays, or San Miguel in general.
Written April 13, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
MexBob
San Miguel de Allende, Mexico9 contributions
Not Well Organized
Couples
After coming from Warren Hardy School I found lots I didn't like about the Academia. Class rooms were dark with poor lighting. Text books looked like they were copied form a bad high school text. Never explained what we were going to learn, just dived right in. No English allowed which for the most part is a good idea but one or two words of English hear and there could of saved us 5 minutes of explanation in Spanish that still left me unsure after. Though the classes were not to large a lot of time spent listening to other students speaking bad Spanish (like working one on one with a partner better at WH). I did like the idea of having to take a test though, I learned a lot studying for it. Unfortunately San Miguel does not have many good options for intermediate/advanced Spanish.
Written April 10, 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Venture2060
Portland, OR1 contribution
I want to go back!
I traveled to AHA in 2001. I stayed for two months in the spring with a wonderful family the school placed me with. The classess were really interesting and fun. The instructors, all of whom are currently there, were very caring and helpful. My Spanish skills are great. I haven't been able to take any more intense Spanish claasess since the trip, but I am asked often where I learned my Spanish! San Miguel is amazingly beautiful and very easy to get around in.
Written April 20, 2006
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
09foodie
Mexico City, Mexico35 contributions
Not so mucho
Very disappointing experience. I had asked around for recommendations on an immersion program in SMA and received enough "OK" recommendations from people plus generally positive ranks on Trip Advisor. My first impression was the place was dark and dank...but pushed on and paid, I said to myself, it's an old building in Mexico. My next impression was first class day. Poorly organized and not quality materials for what I was charged and things didn't improve. The process seemed rigid and inflexible, if not intolerant of "gringos" (which is ironic for a language/ hospitality business). In the end, learned as much from my own grit sticking to it ("where there's a will there's a way") but not sure it was the most effective or rapid learning environment. Would otherwise recommend would be learners to become friends with a native speaker and spend the $$$ learning at a cafe or online. I feel like I wasted a precious part of my trip to beautiful SMA stuck in a hole. Sad and disappointing.
Written January 9, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Klaus R
10 contributions
Learning Spanish at AHA in San Miguel
Couples
We just returned home from having taken a 4 week beginners course at AHA. The course we had chosen was an intensive 4 1/2 hours daily schedule that left us at times exhausted but we did learn a lot of Spanish. Our teachers Jessica and Jorge were excellent. By the end of the course we were able to write a full page essay in Spanish. The friendships that were formed among the (mostly retired) students were heart-warming. The school had arranged two fieldtrips for the first two Saturdays that increased our learning not only of the surrounding area but immersed us further in Mexico's amazing culture. We loved that part.
However, we also have to add a word of caution as far as homestays are concerned. We had opted for a homestay in the hope of being able to mix and converse with a local family but that didn't quite work out the way we had hoped. We were placed at #88 Insurgentes in S.M. with a family that only saw us a walking dollar bills. They had no shame in placing us in a cold and dark cockroach infested room on the main floor where I had to get up first in the morning and pick up the dead roaches before my wife could get out of bed. Unfortunately we had made the mistake of paying up front instead of paying week by week. Some other students also felt compelled to move to other places, often because the hot showers weren't working as promised. After two weeks a better room became available upstairs that was free of insects. We truly felt that AHA failed to physically inspect the homes were they were placing students so as to avoid disasters of this kind. The hosts at 88 Insurgentes never apologized nor offered any kind of compensation. On the contrary the food got steadily worse whereby the dinner in the last few days consisted mainly of left-overs that we refused to eat on several occasions, leaving us no choice but to eat out.
If all that wasn't enough the hosts also have two dogs that kept barking at the times when we wanted to rest or study. We only had minimal verbal contact with the hosts since they themselves were barely talking to each other.
Do your homework as there are many places for rent in S.M. and conditions there may not be as dramatic as at 88 Insurgentes and forget about the idea of staying with a family that will embrace you. For most of them it's all about the money.
Written March 17, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Ritha F
San Miguel de Allende, Mexico3 contributions
If You Really Want to Learn Spanish, This is the Place
Solo
I visited most of the schools in San Miguel before I selected the Academia Hispano Americana. You will not learn to speak fluent Spanish taking a one-hour class a day, no matter what other schools promise. It takes work and excellent teachers. I live in San Miguel. The Academia is widely considered that best school in town among those of us who live here.

The best schools attract the best students. The people you meet at the Academia are intelligent and very interesting. I threw a party for several students at my house and discovered later that one of the woman had been nominated for an Oscar!

This is one of the best language programs I have ever attended. I am multi-lingual and VERY picky about where I study. In addition to excellent teachers, the price of classes is quite reasonable.
Written February 10, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
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Academia Hispano Americana is open:
  • Mon - Fri 8:00 AM - 4:30 PM
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