DELE PREPARATION COURSE – 30 HOURS

I had a superb experience at La Calle Spanish language school in Merida. I went to La Calle for 1 week at the end of September 2024 and took 30 hours of classroom instruction from Monday - Friday. The school is in a charming house with a courtyard and spacious brightly colored classrooms. My teachers were Jovana, Octavio and Raul. They were superb teachers and allowed me to achieve my objective of getting lots of practice speaking Spanish in a structured learning environment. By the end of the week, I was able to think in Spanish while I was speaking instead of having to translate in my head. I still have lots of work to do in order to improve my Spanish, but going to La Calle was a giant step forward. Thanks to my wonderful teachers!

Overall my experience with the school "La Calle" was fantastic. The person at the front desk (Fer) is very knowledgeable. If they do not know the answers, they find out quickly. The teachers are fun and make the classes fun.
I found Giovanna's teaching methods exceptional and truly enjoyed the many hours I spent in her class. I also found Siled's class to be quite enjoyable. These were my two favorite teachers, but I do form attachments easily. :-) That being said, ALL of the teachers/staff that I had contact with were great. I would very much encourage anyone thinking about this adventure to:
Just do it!!!
Ericka, the chef, made soups that belong in a Michelin restaurant.
My home stay family was incredible, but several of the students I attended classes with had different experiences. Luck of the draw I guess.
Esta experiencia me cae bien!
Randy

Loved the immersion aspect of the entire school. Small interactive classes focused on teaching practical aspects of Spanish and speaking rather than fully lecture style. Lessons were also tailored to the learning interests of the students.

The teachers at La Calle are all excellent. I had a 4 hour class in the morning followed by lunch at school. The food was great and very affordable. My morning class on only had 4 students in it.
The two hour afternoon session was one on one and really helped with my auditory comprehension and confidence in speaking.

The classes group students and program at the exact level to be most beneficial. Our group all agreed we loved the class, teacher and and the delightful environment! Most students were attending for multiple weeks. I took additional private classes each day to fast-track, also excellent. My highest compliments to the committed owners and staff. I'll be back.

The teachers are great. I enjoyed the social method and how they kept us talking most of the time. The school has a beautiful courtyard for the breaks. I expected a swimming pool because they showed one in the photos when I booked - but there is not a pool. They have an old photo up. I was pretty disappointed, but stuck it out for two weeks and anyway really enjoyed the people and the vibe. It’s nice that they have a cafe w coffee and water and snacks. It’s in the center close to a ton of places to eat and sight see and shop.

I was only at the school for a week of classes and I missed the final day due to personal illness. I took two sessions, a four hour morning class and a two hour afternoon session. I learned a lot and appreciated the patience and skill of the teachers. The instruction was at a level that pushed my learning but was not overwhelming. It was a good mix.

I wish I had more information about what to expect prior to attending my first class. I'm not asking for detailed information but a more general approach of what to expect during the classes and an explanation of the teaching philosophy. I was curious why my teacher for the afternoon kept changing--I had three different teachers in four days. Each change required adjusting to a new person, speaking voice, tone and it felt like starting over a bit with each change. I'm not complaining about this but would have appreciated some information about why this was happening.

Overall, I had a very positive experience.

Students from all over the world, different ages, very good teachers, possibility to get fresh and good tasting meal in the school

My teacher was very dedicated and worked hard. She introduced me to past tense, which I wanted & needed. The two rooms we used had a significant echo, which made it more difficult for me to understand what the teacher said. I strongly recommend that they hang some fabric art or tapestries on the walls to reduce the echo. I suggest they use more written materials and that the written materials include more explanation of grammar in addition to the grammar exercises.

My teacher, Giovanna, was fantastic. Can't say enough great things about her. Somehow stayed cool in the classroom in the heat of Merida in May. Exercises in class/homework were helpful in improving my knowledge of Spanish. A lot of practicing speaking in class. Only 2 people in my class so got a lot of individual attention. Hope to go back to the school sometime for another week or two. Stayed elsewhere so can't comment on housing. Enjoyed meeting the other students. Other than free filtered water, school did not seem to offer any other drinks for sale. Classes were 4 hours with a 20 minute break, which was the perfect amount of time. Merida itself was a very nice city - felt very safe, people were nice, had good restaurants, walkable, cheap ubers, and took covid protocols very seriously.

I took a 1:1 class for one week. Saul was an excellent teacher. The whole class was in Spanish and we focused entirely on speaking. The location of the school is very convenient close to the center. The facility with a garden and a pool is very inviting. I had a great time at La Calle and can highly recommend this school!

Augustin was a great head honcho. Organized and efficient. Saul was a great teacher. He was patient and kind and was able to meet my needs. Saul was a cheerleader when I felt sad about how hard it was to learn a language in a vacuum. Covid presented an obstacle in the ability to go out and practice the language with the locals. Overall my experience was a very good one. I would highly recommend La Calle Spanish School.

Even during the challenging times of Covid, Augustine and Saul proved to be amazing teachers and hosts. They took Covid very seriously and respect proper protocols without hurting the learning experience. They were welcoming, accommodating and extremely good at teaching Spanish in a way that engages you.

I attended La Calle Spanish school in Merida Mexico for one week and it really helped me improve my spanish. My teacher made learning spanish fun with her homework and lessons. Merida is a great city to learn spanish and explore different historical sites. The location of the school was an easy 15 minute walk from the centre. I enjoyed my experience learning spanish with La Calle and would attend again. I was staying in a hotel not their housing.

My teacher, Karla, was spectacular. She blended a group of six people disparate in age, countries of origin and Spanish speaking abilities into a highly entertaining class. We met for 4 hours daily and I never once grew restless in her classes. In fact, now that I am at home in NYC, I plan to continue learning Spanish, focusing more on grammar and literature. Thank you La Calle and, especially, THANK YOU KARLA!

I have just enjoyed a wonderful week at La Calle in Mérida, this month. I attended 4 hours of class work every morning for 5 days. I loved the atmosphere of the place, the friendliness of the staff and teachers, as well as the excellent, lively classes. Saul was a very good teacher, leading all 6 of us to enjoy and to feel connected to the language. We learned through a wide variety games, responses and studies. He taught us while always using the Spanish language and yet was very clear to each one of us.
While there, I also enjoyed Mérida's amazing cultural festivaI and very friendly and efficient people. I only wish I could have stayed longer.

I liked the immersion. We had 3 different teachers and they were all good. The facilities had a large pool and a restaurant and was 3 blocks from our house. They were private lessons for just the 2 of us and we would have enjoyed being with other residents or students.

Staff was helpful. The location was clean and comfortable. Staff was skilled and competent.

I highly recommend La Calle Spanish School! The classes are great for getting really comfortable with conversing in Spanish. I personally appreciated that there wasn’t a strict “set curriculum”. I felt that it was a fun and interesting combination of conversing in a natural way, like you would with friends, while learning a new language. I found it to be more interesting than learning rote out of a textbook. I was there for four weeks and each week was different. I was continually learning new concepts while also reviewing things that I needed to work on.
All of the teachers and staff are friendly, supportive and all around great people! The building is lovely, the food at the café is delicious and the pool is very inviting! They also offer small group or private classes at very reasonable rates if there is something specific that you want to cover. There are also various social and cultural activities available. Cooking classes, walking tours of the city, etc. Raul is local tour guide who is super knowledgeable and when you take a tour with him it is like having a lesson and excursion in one!
I really hope that I get the opportunity to return again soon!

I went to this school over the course of a few weeks and that they are brilliant!. The teachers, atmosphere and, most importantly, the quality of the teaching are all wonderful. I have now been to other schools across Mexico and Guatemala and this school has been the best I have been.

My teacher was amazing and corrected (gently) many of my bad habits & by the end of the week I started using the past tense with greater ease! Lovely staff, delicious food at the cafe inside the school. I will definitely return!

My boyfriend and I attended three weeks of classes here : we built from no foundation at all to a reasonable level of practical Spanish and a solid foundation with which to continue building.
They run a reputable program in a positive, beautiful and comfortable learning environment, right in downtown Merida. Making you feel right at home, the teachers here mould the class structure around their students to customize and maximize learning.

We followed two months of classes at La Calle in January and February 2019. We warmly recommend this school for the following reasons:

The quality of teaching:

Immersion course. The teachers offer exercises and communication games in which they integrate grammar. Relaxed and encouraging atmosphere aimed at communication in Spanish everywhere and always. The teachers lead us to increase our vocabulary, to perfect our grammar and our constructions of sentences thanks to interesting interactive exercises. Always in Spanish.

The extracurricular activities of the school:

Free activities in the afternoon: guided tour of Mérida, Merida cemetery, group visit to Mérida artisans who not only allowed us to practice our basic Spanish in a natural context, but also to learn about their trade and their way of life.
Cooking class every week.
Wednesday nights, cine-club. Screening of a film accompanied by its synopsis and followed by a discussion to check our understanding and allow us to comment on what we saw. (In February, we saw and commented on the famous Mexican film Roma).
Calle is more than a school, it's a mini cultural center where you feel comfortable practicing our Spanish.

The facilities of the school:

Cuisine offering Mexican dishes with trendy new cuisine, featuring flavors and aesthetic dishes. Veggie and vegan, possible. Beautiful, bright and shady inner terrace .. Amanda and Virginia are treasures in the kitchen and with the students: they speak Spanish with great patience and enthusiasm.
Pool in a small tropical garden accessible to students. (On occasion, we just dipped our feet during the 10:30 break.)

Location of the school:

Near the popular (ie less tourist) neighborhoods of Mérida.
Walking distance to the following places:
The Plaza Grande (Cultural and Tourist Center of Merida).
Progresso bus terminal.
ADO Terminus.
Terminus of combis and buses serving the whole city.
Near several parks: Santa Lucia, Santiago, San Juan, Hermitage.

Every morning, it was a great pleasure to stop by the school restaurant to greet colleagues and teachers, take a little something and start our day of class.

Michèle Charbonneau and Paul Desrosiers
Teachers and editors of educational material,
in French as a second language
at the Commission scolaire de Montréal. (Quebec, Canada)

I did a week of group classes with some private lessons to find and improve my level of Spanish. I had a great week participating in classes! The team is at the same time welcoming, dynamic, very attentive to the needs of students and friendly. The group classes are lively and the proposed activities allow you to connect with other students, always in Spanish. I was able to participate in the Mexican cooking class that I strongly recommend. The house that houses the school is also very nice: colorful, airy, with swimming pool and cafeteria.
A big thank you to the whole team !

I was planning to attend La Calle for a week but accidentally chose a week that contained May 1, a national holiday in Mexico.So I ended up taking only 4 days of classes but they were 4 very good days. Well worth the time. There were 4 persons in class. It was a very nice mix. Very enjoyable people. The teacher, Miguel, was very engaging. I completely enjoyed the way he handled the class time. He quickly zeroed in on a couple concepts that we all could use more practice with.

La Calle facility was a very comfortable, relaxing place. I have absolutely nothing to complain about the school. If ever return to Marida, I would take classes again at La Calle.

I traveled solo to Merida for the specific purpose of going to La Calle Spanish school so as to immerse myself in Spanish. Previously, a concierge at the Westin in Cancun, Eliana, took time to help me locate a good Spanish school in a safe city in Mexico, and it seemed that La Calle would serve my needs. Thanks to Eliana, I followed up on her research and decided that was the place for me. I had never been to Merida. The photos on-line looked lovely, and there were numerous recommendations for going there. The school La Calle offered exactly the same- nice photos, many of the English speaking hotels recommended it, my Cancun concierge had found only good things about it... so I went. It was the most wonderful experience! I had been afraid I would be overwhelmed and that it would be way over my head, however, the entire staff made me feel so welcomed and were so patient with me, and I actually hope to go back again next year. I went to Merida knowing SOME Spanish words and verbs and I could understand simple written and spoken sentences, however I was not able to put a sentence together (I’d had about 20 weeks of Community Ed classes.) By the end of the 1st week at La Calle I could actually speak a little! I was so encouraged!! And I wish I could have stayed another week which would have kept the ball rolling, but I did not have that time available to me. There were so many positive things that made my solo trip to Merida enjoyable, but I would begin by thanking the entire staff at La Calle, especially my teacher Sandra, for making me feel comfortable, welcomed and who patiently encouraged me to learn. The owners Rachel and Agustín run a great, fun program which incorporated fun quizes/games which stimulate words and conversation. Each 4 hour class went by like 2, and before I knew it, it was time to go. But to top that off, La Calle has an in-house restaurant called Punto de Reunion which provided lunch (and dinners) to any one who wanted to stay. For 85 pesos you were provided a large, delicious, beautiful meal. Chefs Rosa and Amanda are outstanding. After lunch you could also SWIM IN THE POOL which is a good size, has grass around it, and lounge chairs! La Calle was just the best. I met so many nice people from a wide variety of countries, and it was enjoyable getting to know them and do things after class with them. Merida itself is just a lovely city with lovely people. The location of the school was fine, and the city is VERY clean, tranquil, safe, and I walked the Paseo de Montejo many times (Saturday night is very popular for strolling.) The Centro district was also great place for people watching and shopping, and you can find English speaking taxi drivers who are happy to provide private tours to Mayan ruins and cenotes about an hour or so away. My particular driver took me to the pueblo Becal to see the process of, and buy, a finely made beach hat made of softened palm leaves. My taxi driver Wilbert was the best!! Having recounted some of my wonderful trip now makes me want to go back sooner than later! I was there the first week of April when the daytime temps were 99 degrees F, but there was ALWAYS a nice breeze if you are not inside. The constant breeze made for gorgeous nightly strolls. I want to try going there in Jan/Feb next, but if you are not afraid of some breezy heat, the 1st week of April was not crowded. Plus there are many ex-pats who have relocated to Merida, or whom have a 2nd residence there. So you still have a variety of places to go and jump into an English speaking crowd. My lovely hotel, the Westin, was near to Hennessey’s Pub so I was able to keep up with Spartan basketball too. Hope this all helps in some way for those thinking of going to Merida or La Calle. I normally travel to resort destinations in MX, and Merida was a little jewel I found and hope you will enjoy it too. My best to the success of La Calle y buena suerte Rachel, Agustín, Sandra, Rosa y Amanda tambien. Adios