Casa Nica Spanish School
Casa Nica Spanish School
4.5
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
About
Welcome to Casa Nica Spanish, your Spanish language school in Granada, Nicaragua. We are a cooperative of women that has been teaching Spanish since 1998. We tailor Spanish classes according to your skill level and interests, and we make sure that you have a lot of fun while meeting people and getting to know our community through fabulous afternoon activities. We can also provide home-stay accomodations which will further enhance your learning experience while giving you the opportunity to make friends with a local family. And, if you are interested volunteering, we can connect you with our favorite local organizations that do amazing things to improve our community.
Duration: More than 3 hours
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
81 reviews
Excellent
67
Very good
7
Average
2
Poor
4
Terrible
1
Odyssey00393053643
1 contribution
Oct 2023 • Solo
I had a wonderful week learning Spanish at Casa Nica with Judith! She was very fun, friendly, and patient with me. It was a great new experience getting to stay with a local family, too. Highly recommend!
Written November 1, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Claudia M
Granada, Nicaragua5 contributions
Mar 2012
The instructors know nothing about teaching. They are just college students working part time. They do not offer any kind of structure for learning.
Written September 28, 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Tom K
1 contribution
Dec 2017 • Solo
I was very disappointed with my experience at this school, so much so that I left after two days. My teacher didn't seem particularly interested in what I had to say and looked for any excuse to avoid work. I spent my previous two months at a school in Guatemala so I have a fair comparison. On my second day my teacher at casa nica decided we were going to walk around the market which gave her the opportunity to run her errands, including 15 minutes when I had to sit and wait for her to get something photocopied. For the third day she had organised for me to meet up with someone else and talk with them about the war, which seemed like a good idea until I found out that this was supposed to be during class hours and the person I was going to meet was her best friends husband. That would have been a nice opportunity for her to hang out with a mate instead of teaching me. I didn't bother going.
Written December 20, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Klingis
Gothenburg, Sweden2 contributions
May 2017 • Solo
I took classes for a week and did the home-stay. Everybody is really nice, both at the school and my home-stay family. BUT nobody could speak any English at all. Since I didn't know any Spanish beforehand it was really frustrating. I couldn't ask any questions and the focus was mainly on grammar. My teacher didn't really understand that I needed really basic stuff. Not even the owner could speak English. It might be great if you already know some Spanish, but it didn't really work for me.
Written May 1, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Inspirado
Arizona72 contributions
Sep 2014 • Solo
Spanish teachers in Central America are paid the equivalent of about $2 per hour, however Spanish schools that offer Skype classes online often charge $15 or more per hour. Translation: the school owners are the ones that keep most the money.
Over the years I have looked long and hard for a capable Spanish tutor via Skype that charges a reasonable price, and I finally found them at Casa Nica Spanish School. For as little as $7 per hour (paid via PayPal), you get a full 60 minutes of instruction with your own personal tutor … and you can be certain that you will enjoy the experience.
I also appreciate the fact that this school is a women's cooperative, and that they work with local NGOs to place volunteers that come through their school.
I look forward to the opportunity to visit Granada one day to take Spanish in person at Casa Nica Spanish School, which will be even that much more fun ... but in the meantime I get excellent instruction via Skype.
Over the years I have looked long and hard for a capable Spanish tutor via Skype that charges a reasonable price, and I finally found them at Casa Nica Spanish School. For as little as $7 per hour (paid via PayPal), you get a full 60 minutes of instruction with your own personal tutor … and you can be certain that you will enjoy the experience.
I also appreciate the fact that this school is a women's cooperative, and that they work with local NGOs to place volunteers that come through their school.
I look forward to the opportunity to visit Granada one day to take Spanish in person at Casa Nica Spanish School, which will be even that much more fun ... but in the meantime I get excellent instruction via Skype.
Written September 26, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Maha R
Encinitas, CA11 contributions
Jul 2014 • Friends
I tagged along on a trip to Nicaragua with my cousin and her two co-workers who planned this trip, so I did not know what to expect. I ended up loving Granada (with the exception of the heat), my home stay mom (Martha), my teacher Vanessa, and the other three teachers Marlon, Raquel, and Paola. What I loved about Vanessa is she mixed up my Spanish lessons by having some lecture time, conversation time, games, and even walking to a museum and the big market during my lessons. The 4 hours (plus a 30 min break) flew by every time. Vanessa gave me a little bit of homework, usually reviewing verb meanings and conjugations and a few helpful worksheets.
I would definitely recommend having a English-Spanish dictionary. It really came in handy for me during my lessons. Also, bring a notebook and take notes during the lessons. Write down meanings of words so you don't have to keep looking it up or asking someone. I would also recommend going online before your trip and study common phrases and words.
My favorite part of this program was the activities planned after the lessons. One day, Marlon (who is very funny and entertaining) took us on a walking tour of Granada. We had so much fun seeing three beautiful churches and going up to the bell tower of the Iglesia de Merced, which has amazing views of the city. Another day, Vanessa & Marlon took us to Puebla Catarina to see how people make baskets, furniture, and other things in their homes. We also walked to a great lookout of Laguna de Apoyo. We also went to Volcan Masaya with Marlon and Raquel to hike a little and see the two craters. This place was beautiful. The last activity was making dinner at Vanessa's parents' home. We made gallo pinto (rice & beans), tortillas, and salad. We stayed pretty late cause we were having so much fun telling stories and laughing.
I really recommend doing this program with at least one other person if possible. I had so much fun with the 3 other girls, and they really made my trip so special. It was such a great bonding experience, and my Spanish really improved. Oh, also, they have coffee!!! Woot woot!
My home stay was very accommodating. It was only a 12-15 minute walk from the home to Casa Nica. It was also close to the main plaza (Calzada I think is the name) by the yellow cathedral. She asked me on the first day what I like to drink and if there is anything I don't/can't eat. Her food was pretty tasty. If I wanted to eat lunch or dinner with my friends, she was very understanding and did not mind at all. One suggestion that I have for Martha (my home stay mom) is to speak slower. Most of the time, she spoke so fast I would have no idea what she said.
One suggestion I would have is for the teachers to correct the student whenever they make a mistake by guiding the student word-by-word. I would sometimes use the correct words but in the wrong order and sometimes say words that had no meaning without being corrected. I also think all of the teachers should take students out of the classroom for every lesson even for only 15-20 minutes. The heat can make you very tiring, so sitting in a chair for 4 hours can make it hard for you to concentrate.
Overall, I had an amazing experience at Casa Nica Spanish School, and I would definitely recommend this school! Gracias Vanessa, Marlon, Raquel, y Paola! <3
I would definitely recommend having a English-Spanish dictionary. It really came in handy for me during my lessons. Also, bring a notebook and take notes during the lessons. Write down meanings of words so you don't have to keep looking it up or asking someone. I would also recommend going online before your trip and study common phrases and words.
My favorite part of this program was the activities planned after the lessons. One day, Marlon (who is very funny and entertaining) took us on a walking tour of Granada. We had so much fun seeing three beautiful churches and going up to the bell tower of the Iglesia de Merced, which has amazing views of the city. Another day, Vanessa & Marlon took us to Puebla Catarina to see how people make baskets, furniture, and other things in their homes. We also walked to a great lookout of Laguna de Apoyo. We also went to Volcan Masaya with Marlon and Raquel to hike a little and see the two craters. This place was beautiful. The last activity was making dinner at Vanessa's parents' home. We made gallo pinto (rice & beans), tortillas, and salad. We stayed pretty late cause we were having so much fun telling stories and laughing.
I really recommend doing this program with at least one other person if possible. I had so much fun with the 3 other girls, and they really made my trip so special. It was such a great bonding experience, and my Spanish really improved. Oh, also, they have coffee!!! Woot woot!
My home stay was very accommodating. It was only a 12-15 minute walk from the home to Casa Nica. It was also close to the main plaza (Calzada I think is the name) by the yellow cathedral. She asked me on the first day what I like to drink and if there is anything I don't/can't eat. Her food was pretty tasty. If I wanted to eat lunch or dinner with my friends, she was very understanding and did not mind at all. One suggestion that I have for Martha (my home stay mom) is to speak slower. Most of the time, she spoke so fast I would have no idea what she said.
One suggestion I would have is for the teachers to correct the student whenever they make a mistake by guiding the student word-by-word. I would sometimes use the correct words but in the wrong order and sometimes say words that had no meaning without being corrected. I also think all of the teachers should take students out of the classroom for every lesson even for only 15-20 minutes. The heat can make you very tiring, so sitting in a chair for 4 hours can make it hard for you to concentrate.
Overall, I had an amazing experience at Casa Nica Spanish School, and I would definitely recommend this school! Gracias Vanessa, Marlon, Raquel, y Paola! <3
Written July 21, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Volger H
Berlin8 contributions
Apr 2012 • Couples
I have been to several Spanish schools around Central Ameraca and I do have some experience in having Spanish lessons. The teatchers at Casa Nica Spanish are nice but maybe not good enough compared to other Spanish schools. Only a few of them spoke English and it is difficult to correct any Spanish if they don`t understand English and my Spanish isn`t good enough.
Written April 8, 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
bradwarner1000
Merida, Mexico9 contributions
Sep 2011 • Solo
This is the best spanish school in Nicaragua. I have studied with the staff here on two separate trips to Granada. I have been to other schools in Granada, including Nicaragua Mia, which is where the teachers at Casa Nica came from. One of the owners at Nicaragua Mia screwed the other owner, so she left and started Casa Nica, bringing all the best teachers. I am planning on returning for a few weeks soon to study spanish and would not think of going to another school. I love all the teachers at Casa Nica.
Written January 8, 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ralpj
Granada, Nicaragua6 contributions
Oct 2011 • Solo
Casa Nica, like most of the Spanish language schools in Nicaragua, features one on one, student- based instruction. What separates them from the rest, in my opinion, is the genuineness of the faculty: they take an actual interest in you as a person, and they are committed to helping you become proficient in Spanish.
I am a retired attorney who has resided in Nicaragua since August, 2011. Despite the conventional wisdom that older people cannot easily learn a foreign language, the instructors at Casa Nica have patiently and professionally constructed a language training program that is perfectly suited to my level of progress and motivation.
I am a retired attorney who has resided in Nicaragua since August, 2011. Despite the conventional wisdom that older people cannot easily learn a foreign language, the instructors at Casa Nica have patiently and professionally constructed a language training program that is perfectly suited to my level of progress and motivation.
Written December 19, 2011
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jeffrey N
Urbana, OH1 contribution
Jul 2011 • Business
I arrived in Nicaragua with maybe the most basic of comprehension of the Spanish language, but this program is a testament to the amount of progress one can achieve in a few short weeks with talented, professional teachers. I had the great fortune of working with Marlon during my classes, and our classes together were never anything short of a complete and absolute joy. He and the rest of the staff were exceptionally friendly and approachable, with a vested interest in helping everybody improve and learn the language, and doing so with a unique and effective lesson plan. I literally cannot recommend this program enough; if you are visiting the Granada area and want to learn Spanish--no matter at what level you are starting--this is the place to get fantastic results and wonderful memories.
Written November 18, 2011
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I am planning on going to Nicaragua and would like to stay in a home stay, travel mostly Granada and a bit of the surrounding area and do some spanish lessons.
Do you have an emails or contract info for homestays in the area or should I contact the spanish school?
Written December 21, 2015
The language school will set up your homestay, according to your wishes, i.e. non-smoking, vegetarian, cat allergy... as much as they can. All schools work like this.
Written September 26, 2016
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