Interview with Angela: 6-week family holidays to Spain
Studying Spanish together as a family is a great opportunity for both you and your children to learn Spanish. Spending time in Spain, there’s the opportunity to practise your language skills in real life situations with your language-learning being combined with local ‘rondeño’ life. You can opt to stay with a local host family or of course sort out accommodation for yourself, like our student, Angela, did. In this interview she tells us all about her experience.
The Decision Process
Entrelenguas: Why did you choose Ronda for your family holidays to Spain?
Angela: I began the research looking at cities that we were interested in visiting, but soon realised that the type of Spanish school was more important to our mission than location. After extensive research, focusing on Spanish courses at immersion schools in Latin America, Mexico and Spain, I decided to go with Entrelenguas. Little did I know how wonderful Ronda would be for our family immersion experience.
E: What was the process like for sorting out your arrival and finding accommodation?
A: Our immersion experience was part of an 8-week trip round Europe. During this family holiday to Spain, we spent 6 weeks learning Spanish in Ronda. Our main focus: full language and cultural immersion.
We used airbnb.com for our accommodation. We considered staying with a host family, but in the end, I felt like we would need our own space. Looking back, I would consider staying with a host family for 1-2 weeks. I organised accommodation on my own and chose a townhouse one block from Entrelenguas. It was perfect for the three of us. Staying close to the school allowed my daughters, 10 and 12 years old, a bit more independence, as they could walk to and from the school by themselves. We were located in the neighbourhood where many local families live, which was wonderful!
The Experience
E: What sort of activities did you do?
A: Being based in Ronda, there was plenty in the city and surrounding area to do. We went kayaking in Ardales Reservoir, canyoning in Juzcar, hiking to Cueva del Gato (with very cold swimming there too!), and many other more central activities. We took a flamenco class, three cooking classes, and I took an adult leather working class where I made a leather purse.
E: Is there anything you would change about your family holidays to Spain?
A: I wouldn’t change a thing about our immersion experience in Ronda, Spain. In fact, my family wants to go back next summer for a few weeks. There’s a real benefit to being able to study Spanish in Spain itself rather than just having to learn the Spanish language at a distance – the trip abroad is something for the whole family to look forward to!
The only thing our family has agreed that we would do differently with our trip is to find somewhere to stay with a pool and larger outdoor space. We were there during summer and it was hot and dry. We went to the public pool twice, but it would have been easier for us to have our own pool.
E: Would you recommend your family holidays to Spain to other families?
A: I would highly recommend the family programme at Entrelenguas to families looking for a place with great Spanish teachers and an adventurous Spanish experience! 10 out of 10 stars!
E: Do you think your Spanish has improved?
A: My Spanish was limited prior to Entrelenguas. I focused on learning new vocabulary and verb tenses, and my conversation skills improved dramatically. My daughters had zero Spanish language prior to our experience. After their Spanish classes and just being in Spain they comprehend and write Spanish better than I do now!
E: How did you find the staff at Entrelenguas? Were they helpful?
A: The Entrelenguas staff were fun, flexible, knowledgeable, and caring. We love them all!
