LIVE
HOMESTAYS
Have a different experience living with a local family and learn a little more about a different culture than yours.
- Accommodation
- Meals
OUR ACCOMMODATION
In order for you to feel comfortable and relaxed during your stay, we consider it essential that you are satisfied with your accommodation.
That is why we take special care to ensure that the accommodation we offer is of good quality.
We carefully select our host families and make sure our students feel like part of the family.
Living with a local family is the best way to experience the indigenous lifestyle, learn about the customs, and practice the language. We carefully select our families and make sure our students feel like part of family.
Students stay in a private room and have breakfast, lunch and dinner from Monday to Saturday (on Sunday you can have your meals in some restaurant in the town).
To study a new language fully integrates the immersion approach to learning. It is for this reason that all language schools in Guatemala, including our Cooperativa Spanish School, strongly encourage students to stay in the home of a local Spanish-speaking family, where it is necessary for you to use the new language skills you acquire in school. We have host families who have been working with us for a long time, for this reason you will be fine even if you do not speak a lot of Spanish because they already know how to help you to communicate.
why?
Staying with a family gives students the opportunity to use the language in authentic situations and communicate with Spanish speakers with everyday life and social experiences.
It is a time to exchange personal cultural experiences.
RESULTS YOU CAN MEASURE
Approximate data that may interest you in your stay with us.
1
%
Satisfied Students
1
Families to Stay With
1
Days per Week
The Co-Operative of Guatemalan Spanish Teachers (Cooperativa Spanish School) is a true cooperative started in 2004 by a group of experienced Spanish teachers from San Pedro La Laguna who believe they have a responsibility to the community which they are from. All fees paid by the students go directly to the teachers, host families, social projects and maintenance of the school. The teachers are equal partners in the school, and the pride of ownership shows in their professional and caring attitudes. The Cooperativa is fully licensed by the Guatemalan Board of Education and by Inguat, the Guatemalan Board of Tourism.
Courses range from one week to one month or longer. Instruction ranges from 3 to 6 hours each day, 5 days a week. In addition to learning Spanish from the most experienced teachers in San Pedro, students have the opportunity to live in the home of a local family. Many students discover the richness of living within the culture, speaking Spanish in an immersion setting, and practicing their skills with members of their new family as the most satisfying way of developing their Spanish.
We offer you a private service from Guatemala City to San Pedro La Laguna.
Shuttle from the Airport to San Pedro La Laguna for a total cost of 950 Quetzales for 1-2 persons or 1,400 Quetzales total cost for 3-12 persons.
If you want to arrange your own transportation we recommend you take a shuttle from the airport to the nearby colonial town of Antigua you can contact the travel agency Maya Tzutujil for this.
Yes, San Pedro is very safe for travelers. Many female students come to San Pedro for school because of the security they feel here. The country of Guatemala is generally quite safe, but you do need to be mindful of where you are.
San Pedro La Laguna, on the shore of Lake Atitlan, is a traditional Mayan town in the center with a strong traveler/international presence on the outskirts. The local Tzutujil people are friendly and welcoming, especially when visitors remember to respect local customs and the local people.
Guatemala City is a large and impoverished city with a high crime rate. Reputable tour operators operate quite safely here, but it may be unwise to take local taxi cabs or wander in the city.
San Pedro and most major towns in Guatemala have ATM access. You can get Quetzales, the local currency, at a very good exchange rate from them. You may pay in dollars but only tickets $50 and $100. It is almost impossible to get Canadian dollars exchanged and also often difficult to exchange Euros. A lot of businesses including hotels and hostels DO NOT accept credit cards, so be sure to get some cash shortly after arriving in Guatemala City for food and travel. The airport has a bank that will take many other currencies and exchange them for Quetzales.
You can often find lodging with a shared bath and a clean bed for as little as 25 Quetzales a night and for 40 plus Quetzales a night you can have your own bathroom. Many hotels and hostels offer scantly equipped kitchens for their guests use. When negotiating room prices you will almost always receive a discount for stays of a week or more. Try to avoid paying for more than a few days in advance and never pay for more than a week in advance in case you decide you want to change hotels.
Meals at local comidors, simple set menu local eateries, can range from 25-35 Quetzales. If you want to eat at one of the many foreign run traveler spots you can expect to spend 25-75Q for a meal and a beverage. A beer runs 10-15Q and a cup of local coffee goes for about Q7.
It used to be possible volunteering but because of the protocols for Covid-19 many places still have restrictions, however there is a rehabilitation center where people with disability receive therapies, they receive volunteers.
Yes, there are a wide variety of restaurants, cafe’s and bars to socialize at. San Pedro currently has a mandatory closing time of 11pm for all restaurants and bars. You can enjoy live music and dj’s at many of the Bars/Pubs several nights a week.
Yes, it is available at school, with the service at the home of families, cafés / bars / restaurants of San Pedro, so keeping in touch with family and friends is easy. If you need a really fast internet for working you can use the school’s internet.
If you wish to study in the morning, in high season you must start on Monday, in the off season you can start any day of the week.