Home Stays with Local Host Families
If you would like to get fully immersed in the Spanish language, experience our culture, and get as much exposure as possible to the Latin American way of life, then a home stay with a local host family is the way to go. Living with a native Spanish speaking family and having daily intensive Spanish lessons makes the most effective Spanish immersion.
You'll get a unique perspective about how we live our lives in Latin America, what really matters to us and more importantly you'll be forced to practice your Spanish 24 x 7, which will dramatically increase how fast you learn to speak Spanish.
We currently collaborate with more than 20 host families in Bocas del Toro, Panama that make our Spanish Immersion Program a reality. In order to ensure that we select the most appropriate host family for you, please submit your Home Stay Interview with as much as anticipation as possible. In this way we will know your specific needs and choose a host family according to your personality. As host families are assigned on a first come first serve basis, the sooner you fill out the interview, the more host families we will have to choose from for you.
All of our host families are within a 15 minute walk to our Spanish school, and a 15 minute drive to the surf (or 5 to 10 minute boat ride plus a couple of minutes to the docks depending on which host family it is).
Budget Hostels
If you're on a budget and would like to easily be able to socialize with fellow travelers after having Spanish lessons and surfing all day long, then a budget hostel is for you.
At Habla Ya Spanish School we work with several top value budget hostels that offer you either private rooms or a bed in a dorm, where you'll certainly enjoy your stay:
421 Guesthouse and Saigon Bay and Breakfast are just a 3 minute and 10 minute walk respectively from us
Mid-Range B&Bs, Cabins & Vacation Rentals
There are several places that we recommend for Spanish students looking for a bit more privacy and independence during their Surfing & Spanish program:
- In Bocas del Toro, Panama
The above are tremendously convenient and very reasonably priced for short to mid term stays (4 - 12 weeks) and the students at our Spanish school in Bocas del Toro simply love them. Each of the above have their own unique features that make them suitable for our Spanish students with different needs and desires. Click on the above links for more details about each option.
Upscale Boutique Hotels
Our favorite upscale hotels in Bocas del Toro are Tropical Suites and Palma Royale.
Tropical Suites is built directly over turquoise Caribbean waters, with 16 guest suites, a three bedroom Presidential Penthouse, and a Luxury Studio Apartment. Simply put Tropical Suites is Bocas del Toro's premier upscale boutique hotel. Tropical Suites is about a 10 minute walk from our Spanish School and about a 2 minute to Central Park
Palma Royale, Bocas del Toro's latest upscale boutique hotel, is located at the end of main street, only 20 meters from the Caribbean Sea and has 15 suites with marble and bamboo flooring, handcrafted cedar doors and beds with pillowtop mattresses. Palma Royale is about a 15 minute walk from our Spanish school and 5 minute walk to Central Park.
There are also other types of properties available for rent in Bocas del Toro, Panama. If you're considering studying Spanish with us for 4 weeks or more, you might benefit from having your very own vacation rental. Please contact us for more information about rentals in Bocas.