What a gem of a Spanish school! Surfing might bring you to Montanita, but classes at relaxed Marazul will make you stay. Gaby, the owner, is a special, lovely person, who can arrange all aspects of your stay in Montanita. She even helped me figure out how to get a yellow fever vaccination and arranged a group tour, complete with lunch, to a local waterfall. I never had Gaby as a teacher, but for four weeks I delighted in having dedicated and cheerful Miguel as my teacher. He may not be the most accomplished linguist (often I had to correct him--with my knowledge of Latin and Italian, I have a good grasp of grammar), but he is supportive and encouraging and he is excellent at explaining vocabulary in Spanish (without resorting to English) and coming up with games to practice grammar and vocabulary. On top of that, he loves what he does and it makes his students love studying Spanish. He even volunteered to go out to dinner with us twice because he enjoys socializing with us, even if our Spanish is painfully rudimentary. This is an exceptional Spanish school.

I can't possibly say enough good things about the Mar Azul school.

I studied here for 3 weeks in March, and the amount of Spanish I learned was amazing. I studied for 4 hours a day solo with Gaby, and she was a fantastic teacher. I had little to no knowledge of spanish when I arrived, and in three weeks, I was not only comprehending a lot when other people talked, but I could also express myself in the present, past, and future tenses.

Classes are taught outside, with sand under your feet and warm sun above. They're casual -- it doesn't feel at all like the last language class you had in high school or college. They're focused on real learning, not book learning -- you don't waste your time learning to spell correctly, and instead are focused on useful spanish.

Gaby was an amazing teacher -- of all my teachers in the US and otherwise, she was the best language teacher by far. And she went out of the way not only to make sure that you were OK throughout your visit, but she organized activities like dancing, dinner, and tours to make sure your days and nights were busy. I really enjoyed talking with her -- it wasn't just language practice, it was fun.

Prices are more than reasonable, and Montanita is a great place. There's a lot to do, many places to eat, and a varied culture close around the city. Like most people, I tried to learn to surf, but also did cool things like spear fishing and hiking.

Really, do this if you can. Gaby's school is so much better than the one in town with tons of tourists flowing through. And you're helping a local, Ecuadorian business.

I took 2 weeks of Spanish classes at Marazul Spanish School in Montanita in June 2009. I previously did not speak any Spanish, but as a medical student in the US I feel it's absolutely necessary to at least be able to make my patients feel comfortable around me (even if I still need a translator for the medical discourse). I chose Marazul Spanish School because of their one-on-one classes and their beach location (the other Spanish school in Montanita has group classes which I felt were not what I needed).

I lived with a family in Montanita and took 4 hours of Spanish lessons one on one with Gaby (the schools owner) every day. Gaby is an incredible teacher and she really cares about teaching her students Spanish. She also worked at a Spanish school in Quito for many years before opening her own business and so she employs the best practices that she learned working in a bigger city, but now she works with only a few other teachers. Gaby's hostel is clean and a little removed from the night life scene at Montanita, so you can actually sleep on nights the discotheque is open until 7 AM (every weekend night)!

Overall, this was really the best experience of my life. I loved Montanita and I loved working with Gaby, and after only two weeks I felt comfortable speaking Spanish alone in a foreign country and knowing I would be understood. I highly recommend this to anyone interesting in taking Spanish lessons abroad.