Academia de Español Nicoya, Costa Rica
Casa #101, Calle 9 - 5200 Nicoya - see on mapPay less than booking at the school
What we like about the school
- There is a maximum of two students per teacher, guaranteed.
- Two free afternoon activities offered each week.
- Lessons are for 60 minutes, much longer than in most schools.
What we dislike about the school
- Nationality mix could be more balanced. 70% of students are from USA
Venue: Academia de Español Nicoya is located in the colonial city of Nicoya, in the province of Guanacaste, on Costa Rica’s Nicoya Peninsula. The city is inland and there are several national parks and nature reserves in the immediate vicinity: Parque Nacional Diriá; Parque Nacional Barra Honda; Reserva Natural Monte Alto; and Cerro La Cruz are the closest. For students interested in the flora and fauna of Costa Rica, the Nicoya Peninsula is a great option.
Classes: At Academia de Español Nicoya, all students receive personalised attention and are sure to progress quickly. Not only is the class size small, it is really a semi-private lesson. The maximum number of students per class is two, allowing teachers to ensure that each individual student gets what they need in order to learn and assimilate the material.
Beach Programme: For students who would like some time on the beach but who want to continue their studies, Academia de Español Nicoya offers classes at nearby Sámara Beach. The school’s experienced teachers work according to the same methodology as at the main school in Nicoya, but classes take place at a hotel in Sámara Beach. Sámara Beach is protected by a coral reef making it both a safe place to swim and a great place for snorkeling. Playa Sámara is less than half an hour away from Nicoya by car.
Getting there: Close to four hours away by car from Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO) in the capital city of San José, Nicoya is actually much closer to the Guanacaste Airport (LIR). Students traveling to Costa Rica from North America might consider this as a good alternative. Travel time from the Guanacaste Airport to Academia de Español Nicoya is about an hour and a half.
Spanish Courses
General Language
Spanish Immersion Program
20 lessons per week | 2 students (max)Starts weekly (every Monday)Offer!from$699$682 / week Includes accommodationMore
Spanish Immersion Program
20 lessons per week | 2 students (max)
Starts weekly (every Monday)
Offer!from
$699$682 / week
Includes accommodation
More
FREE changes
| Weeks | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 12 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price at school ($) Our price ($) | 699 682 | 1,289 1,257 | 1,899 1,852 | 2,499 2,437 | 3,145 3,067 | 3,774 3,680 | 4,403 4,293 | 5,032 4,907 | 5,661 5,520 | 6,290 6,133 | 7,549 7,361 |
See Availability
- Starting dates
- Every Monday
Prices
- Course price includes accommodation
- Homestay, Single room, Breakfast & 1 meal
Course specific data
- General course schedule
- 4 daily lessons of 60 minutes will take place within the following possible time slots. The exact schedule will be assigned on the first day of class according to your level:
Morning: 8:00 - 12:00 - Possible course durations
- 1-99 weeks
- Minimum required student age
- 16 years
- Students per class
- Maximum: 2 / Average: 2
- Lesson duration
- 60 min
Additional information for all courses
See Availability
Samara Beach ProgramThis course tends to sell out quickly!20 lessons per week | 2 students (max)Starts weekly (every Monday)Offer!from$699$665 / week More
Samara Beach Program
This course tends to sell out quickly!
20 lessons per week | 2 students (max)
Starts weekly (every Monday)
Offer!from
$699$665 / week
More
FREE changes
| Weeks | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price at school ($) Our price ($) | 699 665 | 1,398 1,329 | 2,097 1,993 | 2,796 2,657 |
See Availability
- Starting dates
- Every Monday
Students to book their own accmmodation in Samara.
Course specific data
- This course takes place in a different location than main address of the school:
- Hotel Giada or an alternate hotel, Samara
- General course schedule
- 4 daily lessons of 60 minutes will take place within the following possible time slots. The exact schedule will be assigned on the first day of class according to your level:
Morning: 9:00 - 13:00 - Possible course durations
- 1, 2, 3, 4 weeks
- Minimum required student age
- 16 years
- Students per class
- Maximum: 2 / Average: 2
- Lesson duration
- 60 min
Additional information for all courses
See Availability
Spanish Only Program20 lessons per week | 2 students (max)Starts weekly (every Monday)Offer!from$539$513 / week More
Spanish Only Program
20 lessons per week | 2 students (max)
Starts weekly (every Monday)
Offer!from
$539$513 / week
More
FREE changes
| Weeks | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price at school ($) Our price ($) | 539 513 | 1,029 978 | 1,529 1,453 | 1,959 1,862 |
See Availability
- Starting dates
- Every Monday
S
Course specific data
- General course schedule
- 4 daily lessons of 60 minutes will take place within the following possible time slots. The exact schedule will be assigned on the first day of class according to your level:
Morning: 8:00 - 12:00 - Possible course durations
- 1, 2, 3, 4 weeks
- Minimum required student age
- 16 years
- Students per class
- Maximum: 2 / Average: 2
- Lesson duration
- 60 min
Additional information for all courses
See Availability
Our prices for Academia de Español include
- INCLUDED Organized activities
- INCLUDED Internet access and use of school computers
- INCLUDED Free certificate of course attendance
- INCLUDED Language level placement test at first day of classes
- INCLUDED Language level placement test before arrival
- INCLUDED For adult courses: a minimum of one free organized leisure activity per week
Entrance1/19
Academia de Español Nicoya students 2/19
Group tour 3/19
Cultural activity 4/19
Group activity 5/19
Academia de Español Nicoya tour 6/19
Semi-private class7/19
Cultural class8/19
Class activity 9/19
Cultural interchange 10/19
Tour11/19
Certificates 12/19
Group volunteer programme 13/19
Volunteering 14/19
Well done!15/19
Water activity 16/19
In school activity 17/19
New students at Academia de Español Nicoya18/19
In class19/19
Academia de Español
- Accreditations and Quality seals
- Spanish teacher qualifications
- 100% hold a university degree100% hold a recognised language teaching qualification
- Languages spoken by school staff (cannot be guaranteed by school)
- Student gender mix
- 35% male / 65% female
- Offer for returning students
- When you book here, you will be refunded/waived the school's administration fee if you have already attended a course previously at Academia de Español.
- Year of school foundation
- 1997
General school facilities
Fridge for student use
Microwave for student use
Garden
Balcony / terrace
Self-study areas
Free coffee
Free WIFI
Non-smoking (all indoor and all outdoor areas of school)
Tourist information
Assistance with entrance ticket purchases
Assistance with reservations for restaurants, bars, clubs
Assistance with organizing transportation
Laundry (paid)
Free parking (<500m)
Classroom equipment
Ample natural light in all classrooms
- Number of classrooms: 10
- Number of public PC workstations: 1
Facilities for disabled students
Accessible Toilet
Wheelchair access to reception
Wheelchair access to classroom
Disabled car park
Additional comment about facilities of school
School is located in a quiet residential near downtown and the historic area of Nicoya. Students can relax on the deck with views of the river and surrounding trees good for the area's wildlife sightings, tropical birds, iguanas and monkeys.
Student Age / Nationality
Top student nationalities
| Student Nationality | Percentage of students |
|---|---|
| USA | 70% |
| Germany | 5% |
| England | 5% |
| Other nationalities | 20% |
Age of students
| Percentage of students | |
|---|---|
| 1-18 years | 10% |
| 18-24 years | 20% |
| 25-34 years | 30% |
| 35-50 years | 20% |
| >50 years | 20% |
The average age outside summer is 10 years higher than in summer.
- Average number of students
- Adult courses - In summer: 10Adult courses - Throughout the year: 5Junior courses - In summer: 2Junior courses - Throughout the year: 2
- Minimum age of students
- 16 years12 years for specific Junior courses
- Average number of levels
- Adult courses In summer: 7Adult courses Throughout the year: 7Junior courses In summer: 7Junior courses Throughout the year: 7
- Average age of students
- In summer: 25 yearsThroughout the year: 35 years
Information for all courses offered by Academia de Español
- Lesson duration
- 60 minutes
- Course material
- Generally course material is distributed free to students and will stay in student property.
- Comments about courses
Airport transfer fees:
- Liberia-Nicoya via authorized taxi: USD 110, 1-3 persons.
- San Jose-Nicoya or Samara via public bus: USD 85 per person.
- Liberia-Samara Beach via authorized taxi: USD 175, 1-3 persons.
For those flying into San Jose, an overnight stay in San Jose is generally required. The bus trip to Samara takes five hours from San Jose.
- Liberia-Nicoya via authorized taxi: USD 110, 1-3 persons.
- Individual classes
- Single individual lessons of tuition can be reserved at 35.00 US$. The combination of group and individual lessons is highly recommended. Individual lessons will encourage you to actively speak the foreign language and will offer you the opportunity to discuss individual problems and weaknesses.
- Days without class
- In 2026 (including national and regional bank holidays):
01 Jan 2026, 03 Apr 2026, 25 Dec 2026.In 2027 (including national and regional bank holidays):
01 Jan 2027, 03 Apr 2027, 25 Dec 2027.School policy regarding bank holidays:Full number of lost classes are made up - Level test
- A test to assess your exact language level takes place before the start of the course via email.
Lessons needed per Spanish language level
The data above gives some guidance. For more details consult our page How long does it take to learn a language or reach a specific level.
Leisure activities
Examples of leisure activities organized by the school
Adults - Free activities
- - Hike to Cerro de La Cruz, which is about an hour’s hike affording some nice views of Nicoya below and possible wildlife sighting.
- Latin dance class.
- Regional cooking class.
- Pronunciation workshop.
- Rules of the “Accent Marks” workshop.
- National Parks workshop.
- History of Costa Rica workshop.
- History of Guanacaste workshop.
- Teacher supervised Study Hall (basically extra class time).
- Visit to the Farmer’s Market (Fridays). Adults - Paid activities
- For as little as USD 5 per activity, the school has a range of optional activities as well. Swimming at the Olympic swimming pool, bicycling, horseback riding, gymnasium, evening soccer games, and more.
FAQ about Academia de Español, Nicoya
What is the best price for a course at Academia de Español, Nicoya?
“Spanish courses at Academia de Español start at 513 US$ for a Spanish Only Program course with 20 lessons per week. When booking here you benefit from an exclusive discount.”
Which countries are students of Academia de Español from?
“The highest Nationality percentage at Academia de Español comes from USA with a 70% representation, followed by students from Germany (5%) and England (5%).”
Academia de Español offers courses for which ages?
“Academia de Español offers courses from 16 years to 99. The average age is 25 during the summer and 35 the rest of the year.”
Terms of Academia de Español
- First day of course
- Students should arrive at
- Payment methods accepted for payments made directly to the school
- Legal name/parent company
- Tax registration ID: 3101201185
Visa Documents
Nationals from USA do not require a visa to study short term courses up to 180 days.
Check visa requirements for nationals from other countries.
Nationals from countries that require a visa will receive documents from the school, related to booking confirmation, which is required for the visa application.
- Full payment of all fees required before school dispatches documents required for visa application
- No
- Express shipment fee (via courier)
- 5 US$
- Preferential cancellation terms in case of visa refusal
- School agreed that students booking online on this site will benefit from preferential cancellation fees in case of visa refusal, and in this case will never exceed EUR 180.
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Academia de Español Nicoya Spanish School | Pay Less
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Homestay extra night: USD 39.