Spanish Un Poco de Todo (Guatemala)
Antigua School

"The school and classes were both fine. The teachers were good and very helpful. I enjoyed the course a lot! I stayed in a homestay. I enjoyed learning something for a change, interacting with local people or meeting other travellers the most. I also enjoyed the structure of it all - morning at school, the set meal times and the school activities in the afternoon kept me busy which was what I liked."
(Marc de Souza - December 2008)

"I chose to do a Volunteer placement and a language holiday with Cactus because they have a big variety of programmes and countrys. Also they have a clear announcment about prices etc. without hidden costs.
The school was very nice. Teachers were very nice and happy people who seemed to be loving their job. The classes were great and also the activities in the afternoon helped a lot to get in contact with oder students, the teachers and to practise the language. The people from the school were always ready to help in difficult situations (language, friends, change of family, problems in the project,...)
The town itself is very beautiful and there are a lot of things to see and to to. The nightlife is very nice too because there is livemusic everywhere.
The family was very nice and they also had students from Guatemala who go to college in Antigua. Therefore it was very interesting.
I enjoyed meeting so many nice people, learning a fourth language and getting experience of working life."
(Andrea Roeher - January 2008)

"The school and the teachers were very good. There were also good extra activities and helpful (but a bit more expensive) travel agency attatched. I was happy to pay slighty more for the trips as the quality was good.
The school had a good "feel" to it and was friendly. Antigua is pretty much a perfect set up to learn Spanish. Minimal hassel and good facilities for travellers. Lots to see nearby."
(Edward Rendell - September 2006)

“I found Cactus in the travel section of the Sunday Times. My school in Guatemala did not only include productive and interesting classes, but also a warm and welcoming environment for new arrivals. It was an amazing first experience and is encouraging to consider more language courses.

The school is located in the centre of town, a perfect location to then wonder and get a coffee… The town Antigua is lovely as well and there are plenty of amazing and beautiful places to be discovered.

I was lucky enough to be in a very welcoming host family who were always keen to engage in conversation to learn about me and my background, as I was about the culture there in Guatemala. They had no problems in answering any question I had.

I enjoyed integrating into the society and culture of Antigua. I was able to come across different ways of life such as the indigenous population, different foods and music. I also enjoyed meeting the other students who were from all over the world. The only negative thing about my trip is that I would have preferred to hear more Spanish around me rather than English, as many of the people were American.”
(Emily Fitton, July 2006)
If you would like to know more about Emily’s holiday in Antigua, please send her an email: timfitton@ntlworld.com


"I booked with Cactus because my friend said it looked the best. The school and classes were great, teachers were great.
Antigua was amazing, I don't think I could have been in a better place.
I lived with a family. The family was great, it was a great experience.
Antigua itself and the people were what I most enjoyed about my trip."
(Charlotte Tansill, June 2006, Un Poco de Todo programme)

"I booked with Cactus because it had a well organized web site and the feedback to my questions were very prompt through e-mail and phone.
The school was great and teachers were very well qualified. The classes were in a very friendly environment yet everyone was very professional at the same time.
I highly recommend Antigua because it is a small, comfortable, diverse, and fun town. There are a lot of other foreigners, yet it is easy to see the rest of Guatemala where there are not many tourists.
I stayed with a host family and it went very well. It was comfortable and the family was very accommodating and friendly.
What I most enjoyed about my trip was the organized trips to Lake Atitlan, Tikal, and visiting other places, as well as creating relationships with my teachers and other students and my family."
(Ceren Baysan, June 2006, Un poco de todo programme)

"I chose Cactus because of the simplicity of the process - they had everything I wanted to do at one place and the length of travel was flexible to fit with my plans. The school was fantastic! They had many other activities to ensure you got to see the country and people and understand a bit of the culture. They were all really friendly and helpful and the setting was beautiful. The classes were good although it would have been good to have done a bit more conversation practice rather than exercises in the book but this is just a minor comment - overall it was fantastic!! The town was fantastic. There were a heap of other like minded people there. It is beautiful and accessible to all the other places you would want to go and has everything you need within a 2 min walk!! I would definitely recommend this place!!

I stayed in a home stay that was fantastic!! The food was divine and heaps of it - I had my own double room and shared the bathroom - which at some stages was with 8 other people meaning it was a rush to get the hot shower dribble which was a bit annoying but other than that the family were fab!! I most enjoyed meeting the people and the project I worked with - teaching kids at San Miguel Duenas was amazing!! These kids have nothing yet are soo happy and were just so much fun to play with!! It was really rewarding and I wish I could have done more and stayed longer!!
(Natasha Heywood, May 2006 (Un poco de todo programme)

"I chose Cactus because of the website and available web reviews. I really enjoyed being in the school. It is a small school, and has a really good atmosphere. All the teachers were friendly and very interesting people. The teachers preferred to teach through Spanish only which really is the best way of learning. They also evaluated my level appropriately and most of what I covered in the 2 weeks was new material. The town is beautiful. Personally I found it to be too touristic - on the other hand it was an easy and very relaxed place to be. From this pont of view it meant that I probably had a more relaxing holiday than what I am used to. I stayed in a family and they were wonderful. I had requested not be in a family hosting young students (17-24, for instance) and was delighted to be in a family with 4 grown-up kids living at home and students in my age group or older. The family only spoke Spanish - which I really appreciated. I enjoyed the interesting discussions with the teachers of Guatemalas history, traditions, and future. I also had 9 days for exploring Guatemala and discovered a fascinating country full of so many contrasts. The combination of language classes and travel gave me an insight to the country and its people which I would not necessarily have obtained by travelling just with my guidebook."
(Sophie Foley, August 2005)

"I chose Cactus because I liked the fact that it was possible to book both a language course and organise a volunteering placement through the same organisation. I also saw a recommendation for the company in a Sunday newspaper. The school was very good and the standard of most teachers very good. However, there was not an automatic changeover in teachers after each week as promised. It was very handy that there was a travel agent onsite, too, which made it easy to book weekend trips etc.

Antigua is a beautiful town with lots of things to do. There is a good selection of bars and restaurants and shops. I stayed with a local family and it was great. I had a big room and the bathroom facilities, although basic, were fine. There was plenty of very good food and the family was very friendly. I enjoyed all aspects of my trip and was very pleased with my volunteering placement, which I thoroughly enjoyed."
(Sarah Cooke, Volunteer, May 2005)

"I chose Cactus because It combined both language course and volunteering which was what i was looking for and was the cheapest. Some companies weren't too helpful when i phoned and took a while to send their brochure out.

The school was very good, the teachers extremely friendly and had a great atmosphere. The school is small in comparison to some others so you get to know everyone and all the teachers. Plus you swap teachers every week which is beneficial- for beginners, perhaps less so for more advanced spanish speakers. They varied the activities to help us learn and the teachers were animated and fun. Even when we were not in classes we would pop in to say hi. There were really good activities also and weekend trips that were well organised.

The town of Antigua was really pretty and and had a lot to do- cinemas, pubs, clubs and surrounding villages where you could meet local indigenous people. Guatemala City is only about an hour away. The town is really quite modern and you can buy most things you need there. However, it is very touristy and i wouldn't recommend it to someone who really wants to be submerged in guatemalan culture- its a little too comfortable. For others, however, this would be perfect! I recommend climbing one of the surroundong volcanos don't get to do that very often! All the houses in Antigua are very similar- Rooms set around an open air courtyard. It was comfortable, clean and i have no complaints."
(Gill Featherstone, Volunteer, May 2004)

"My experience in Antigua at the school and with my host family was very good. In summary I suppose the best testimony that I can give to you is that I plan to repeat this week again about the same time next year and plan to ask you to set me up at the same school and same host family."
(Thomas Ming, Mar 2004)

"From the moment I arrived everything was really well organised. My host family made me feel very welcome and I'm sure it's thanks to them that my Spanish improved so much. Antigua is also a beautiful place with loads to do - I'd recommend it to anyone!"
(Kate McAllister)

"Everything went fine thanks, the school was very good, and the host family looked after me very well. I'm afraid I don't really have any more useful
feedback for you apart from that, but would definitely recommend the course.
Best wishes"
(Andrew Foord)

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Public Holidays for this school

2010

October 11
December 8

2011

April 21 , 22
June 30
July 25
September 15
October 20
November 1

Airport Transfer Options

Nearest Airport Guatemala City

Airport transfer is included one way unless otherwise specified.

An airport transfer service is available. £37 pp one way.
Choose the option in step 2 of the booking process.