Semi-Private Spanish - 10 Hours/Week

My accommodation was in the heart of Cabarete, where I can access everything, to the beach, restaurants, shops, etc. My Spanish teacher Luis was very new and I did not actually learn much of new things in Spanish, but I learned sooo much about the culture, history, family, etc of Dominican Republic. It was super fun getting to know Luis as a teacher and as a person! I got along with the Taxista, Delio who picked me up at the airport. I also enjoyed exchanging ideas and difference in cultures with him. People are so open, nice, and kind! I would like to come back again!

The location and housing are excellent.
I am less enthusiastic with regard to the classes. Actually, my teacher, although very friendly, lacked experience in teaching to adults, especially to those having already a good knowledge of Spanish language.

However, my experience was globally positive.

The school is located in a surf camp, very beautiful and tropical! This hole area is a gated community ! The owner of the camp is German and very friendly and always there for you if you have problems or questions and the staff is very friendly too!

I expected a “school” with students but the school was my teacher and I , so I paid for group lessons and received private lessons, so I am very thankful! We both, the teacher and I, had a great time, laughing a lot and I was able to speak a lot ! My teacher taught me a lot about the daily life and problems and I really improved my Spanish ! I am very thankful to Louis, my teacher, let’s call it know a friendship!

I can recommend the school, all questions were directly answered !

I upgraded my room after some days, because I needed some more luxury … they have different kinds of accommodations, so at first, you get the basic 30 $, let’s call it rustic typical Dominican style straw roof cabin with mosquito net … and this is a must have ! It’s the tropics !!!

I would come back again to this well organized school and surf camp with an upgraded room 40 $ !

The classrooms on site are standard but nothing special.
My teacher Katie asked me if I would be interested in learning other locations and thus getting to know the area and cabarete better.
I agreed so Katie chose great restaurants, cafes or beach bars to organize the lessons there. With the help of modern communication methods (laptop/internet) and standard paper work it was a great mix to learn English.

The location was excellent. It was close to where I had rented an apartment so it was only a 3 minute walk away. For the first 2 weeks I had Vaness Cortez as my teacher. The last week I had Marta Barrios. The teachers were excellent and did a fantastic job even under trying conditions.

When I arrived Isaac was in Cabarete so I was able to speak to him before my class started. Even though we had a long conversation he failed to tell me that they were moving from that location or any of the circumstances regarding my lessons. I found out that he had hired Vanessa to work with me firstly I believe to assess my level as they weren’t sure if I could keep up with the other class. Vanessa was excellent and our classes were one on one which was an added bonus as it gave me more practice but a bit stressful.

The 3rd week Marta took over and I was in a class with one other student which was also very enjoyable and was fun.

The first two weeks we were at the Language School, however there was a lot of construction going on and furniture being moved out. There were no amenities available I.e coffee or tea. We were uncertain in the 2nd week if we would have access to the School so one day we had classes at Alis Surf Club, then we were advised that the painter had finished painting our classroom and we could start using it again.

The 3rd week classes were held at Alis Surf Club and the school was now closed.

Altogether, despite the situation, I am glad that I booked, and I did get a lot out of the classes, however i would have appreciated being made aware of the situation in advance.

Regards,
Julia

My son had privat lessons in our hotel in Cabarete! was perfekt!

My language level in Spanish taught by Isaac, truly skyrocketed, as I intensively studied Spanish one-on-one for four weeks, 2 hours a day. I have high expectations and standards being a language teacher myself, so I was excited to see the level taught by the instructors at Cabarete Language Institute. I was TRULY satisfied. Isaac knows the structure of the Spanish language in-depth- therefore he was able to answer all of my questions very easily and it was fulfilling, and he was very varied and flexible in his teaching methods. It was clear that his language instruction is professional and well thought through. If I could, I would continue learning Spanish this way...Thank you very much for a wonderful learning experience!

Having been a language teacher myself for close to 10 years in different language schools, I have to admit that I had high expectations. I really enjoyed the conversational methods used to encourage me to speak. I like how the teachers I had adapted their approach to my learning style considering I had no notions in Spanish before I started. I also appreciated the flexibility of the teachers and you can't complain for having a class outside in the heat, sitting by the pool! I decided to pursue my classes online after leaving Cabarete. Once again, I was pleased with the flexibility of the teacher. I also liked the quick responses to questions and how everyone makes your trip easy and fun. I am a very happy CLI student who is confident that my Spanish skills will continue to improve.
Trabajo excepcional y le deseo lo mejor!

Location is very good, classes are good too, English teachers weren't native speakers but good as well, housing was good.
I had a good experience
But it would be good if the school organized one or two afternoon meetings for English students (or Spanish).

I took 7 weeks of classes with Cabarete Language Institution (CLI) which consisted of 5 weeks of group classes and 2 weeks of private classes. The first thing I would like to talk about is the teachers at the school. I was positively surprised about the standard of the teachers, mostly Spanish expats, and they all could speak both Spanish and English which was very helpful in my learning process. They were experienced and very patient with the students. The class sizes where small and we always had a good time, even during our 3 hour classes :).
The structure of the classes were thought through and easy to follow and now, a few weeks afterwards, I still remember most, if not all, of the content that we went through.
The location and facility of the school is high class, possible to hold classes in classrooms inside and outside.
The school also helped me with housing, my university application and problems that I encountered in my every day life here. All very helpful! The school does not at all treat you only as a "customer" and when something came up that was very helpful.
I would recommend the school to anyone who wants to go to the Caribbean and Republica Dominicana and I couldn't see myself choosing any other school. Now I miss going to class everyday! :)
Good luck everyone with your language studies :).

My husband and I stayed in Cabarete for three weeks for our honeymoon this May to June. Patricia was a fantastic teacher who helped us learn the basics of Spanish and focus on practical aspects of communication. Isaac managed the school very well and made sure that Josh and I were learning but having a good time. The location was an easy walk from our rented apartment, and we most certainly hope to go back sometime soon.

We have absolutely no negatives. Our teacher was very bright and extremely knowledgeable, and unlike some other programs we have been part of, was not afraid to speak in English to explain a difficult concept. There were only 3 of us in our class, with two of us at one low intermediate level and the other slightly below us, but our teacher made everyone feel very comfortable. We stayed in Ocean Dreams condo which is very safe and comfortable. It is a long walk, but doable.

I liked everything there! Isaac was a really good teacher and I liked the different teaching methods. I think I have learned more Spanish there in two weeks than in the two years I spent at university at home.
Ali's surf camp was great too. I met so many new people; I had so much fun. The food was also very good there. We also had very nice nights on the beach bars.

Location was perfect – there was a supermarket nearby and a beach as well.

I had such an awesome holiday there! :)

Teacher: Excellent
Classes: Very good (not always fully structured)
Location good (just sad for lunch food too far away by food only)
Facilities weaknesses: less functionality, slow connection, lack of know-how, homework classes document database etc
Activities: very funny (guess a overnight trip would be also fine for all to meet)
Housing: Ask Ali :-)

Database pre review: task setting with follow up homework function webbased would help to learn offline online and maybe after classes too.

Was fun to join the team for a long time.... Hope you sell my kite for a good price soon :-)

We chose the school before we chose the destination within the Dominican Republic. Cabarete Language Institute was able to accomodate our needs and give us instruction at an appropriate level for the short amount of time we had available.

We made our own lodging arrangements at one of the hotels described by the school, and it suited us well. It was within walking distance.

A great school. The one month intensive course was a great way to take my Spanish from pretty basic to learning the grammar and being able to communicate :) Highly recommended!

I had a great experience. My teacher was Marta, and I could not have asked for a better teacher. She completely tailored the classes to what was most relevant for my daily life in the DR. Even more, she took me on little excursions around Cabarete to speak with local Dominicans and learn in a more experiential setting. She also was very flexible with the time of our classes, working around my work schedule and coming to my office to teach me. Marta became not only a teacher, but a very good friend, which made learning much more fun and easy. Every time she would see me out and about in Cabarete, she would encourage me to speak with locals, and would always get excited about my success and progress with me. I think the CLI curriculum is great and the teachers are what makes the experience. In six short weeks I was able to learn so much and have come so far with my Spanish, and everyone is noticing. I'm sad that my time with CLI has ended, but grateful for all that I learned.

I have never been to the Dominican Republic before but I have taken a few Spanish lessons in the last 3 years. This was by far the best learning experience. Not only is the school and the learning process effective, the fact that the D.R. is such a friendly place and Cabarete such a darling of a beach town helped me make friends in no time and was able to practice my Spanish, with locals and travelers alike. That made all the difference in the world. There is no doubt that anyone looking to learn and progress should to try this school. A+

I did a three-week intense course with two other students. It was definitely an advantage to study in a small class, so I could progress in Spanish quite fast.

The teacher was/is an adorable person with lots of patience for all our questions, has a good sense of humor and an incredible knowledge about the local culture, structures, political system, history, art, music, philosophy, etc.

The classes and schedules were well-organized, always started on time and the staff was/is reliable and clear about information and course goals. We worked with a workbook with English explanations for grammatical topics which was ok. I'm not a native English speaker so it was difficult sometimes to switch from one language to the other. We've learnt the everyday objects such as furniture or kitchen appliances in direct contact - the words were written on these objects. So I've learnt that kind of vocabulary easily in passing.
The teacher planned the breaks carefully either by the energy of his students or by topic. Another great plus for school: Coffee (and water) is provided.

The school is located in a calm and peaceful residential district. For me it was the ideal spot to study.

During the course we did a one day excursion that was fun and also a possibility to use and practise what we've learnt at school. And it was a great opportunity to get in touch with local people.

I was very happy with my experience at CLI. The directors and teachers worked with me to create the classes I needed.