arriving in Antigua on the 23rd July before spending two months in central america. my spanish currently doesn't go beyond 'Otra cerveza por favor' so thinking it would be wise to do a few lessons before we head on our way

does anyone have any recommendations?

will be me and my girlfriend, both beginner level but pretty quick learners.

I suggest that your time and money would be better spent in Quetzaltenango, better known as Xela, than in Antigua. Xela is a real city and not a gussied up tourist town as is Antigua. Antigua is worth a visit, but Xela is a better choice for a real experience, IMHO. I spent 9 months in Xela a few years back learning Spanish and teaching English. Xela can be a bit gritty but it is a fascinating place. Ask around for schools; I could not make a recommendation since I have been away for a while. There are plenty of schools to choose from. An added benefit is you are right in the middle of the highlands and within easy distance of many interesting must sees places.

Enjoy y buena suerte.

I'd agree, got to Xela. Take the host family option for at least 1 week.

My wife and I went here

El Quetzal Spanish School

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However I can vouch for CSA in Antigua having some extremely hot teachers.

If you want a cheap school, go to Xela .
If you want a good school,go to Antigua .

A statement like that needs baking up.

The school we attended in Xela may have been cheap, which is relative in Guat, but it was professional and functional. The teaching was one to one and highly productive.

Although I did not attend a school in Antigua I would not have enjoyed a long period in such a tourist trap.

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Maybe I didn't explain myself : Not all the schools in Antigua are good, but the high end ones are much better and (more expensive) as the ones in Xela.

If somebody likes Xela better as Antigua, that's fine with me , but calling Antigua a tourist trap???
Yes you can easily just hang out in all the cheap gringo places and talk just to other tourists in your own language, if you choose to be a tourist !
On the other hand, if you are interested enough and willing to make the extra step, you can easily stay away from all this, you can take incredible day rides out of Antigua, you can hike one of the more challenging volcanoes here around(all the tourists go to same one,short and easy walk),you can enjoy some of the cultural activities (from locals for locals), you can find out why Antigua was declared World Heritage Site by the Unesco, you can check out the local food on one of our markets, you can just open your eyes and mind instead of thinking and seeing reality in prefabricated categories .

And of course there might always be the chance that even so you don't like Antigua. And that is OK , but calling it a tourist trap is not IMHO

I believe I touched a nerve.

We spent a month or so in each place and I back Julio here guys, EVERYTHING in life is get what you pay for and we experienced this first hand so as a gringoRTWtravllerNZerbikerlearningspanish we can offer our experience.

Having spent one month in Xela the school was good and we have started to learn the basics and principles and will get the rest by immersion.

The school was in the middle price wise and I don't doubt for a minute that there are better ones....and probably worse ones.

We ended up back in Antigua (not by choice with broken ribs but then by choice to recover there) and the school we stayed at was OK, I had some teacher trouble but that I believe was an exception and not the rule, Ellens was fine.

Now to Antigua, tourist trap NO, beautiful town yes, if you class it as a tourist trap you have not made the effort to past GZ (thats gringo Zone ) .

We went to the market daily, bought fresh fruit and veges, some meat and we homecooked, ate like kings and queens for lower costs which is very easy to do.

As Julio points out Antigua has so much to offer to someone who wants to venture past the town square area and enjoy it for it local value.

Xela is slightly cooler with extra elevation but Antigua is more temperate.

Having spent time riding around in Guate from both Xela and Antigua I love them both, Ellen prefers Xela for cooler and I prefer Antigua for temperate.

I would go back to Antigua in a heartbeat, good services, economical to live and stunning scenery and yes good coffees in the gringo zone and just a great place.

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Cheers Andi & Ellen .... https://twomotokiwis.blogspot.com/ Two Moto Kiwis Alaska - Argentina - April 2012 -> Somewhere

That is better :-)

Ok, hands up, our experience of Antigua was only 2 days. But sometimes 1st impressions last.

Guate is a great country, but Antigua (what we saw of it) was not for me or Jean. Both towns offer very similar teaching and other activities (you can do a volcano walk form Xela as well).

But the lack of a "gringo zone" in Xela was a bonus in my opinion :-)

(And they have great Marimba bands, and coffee as well)

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