I have never felt compelled to write an on-line review of any place until now. I am an avid traveler and a social studies teacher of fifteen years from Minnesota. It's been my dream to learn to speak Spanish more fluently and thus, I looked for language schools in Mexico.

My experience at the Spanish Cat in Tepoztlan was absolutely fantastic. The accommodations were beautiful and everyone (from the school coordinator to the teachers to the cooks to the grounds keeper) was warm, gracious, professional, friendly and welcoming. What a wonderful month! There were students from all over the world at the school, and I made many life-long friends during my stay.

Perhaps the element that sets "The Cat" apart from other schools is the teaching staff and the curricula. The classes were interesting and fun. I learned more than I ever imagined I could in four weeks. In fact, the Spanish teachers at the high school where I work are so impressed with my quick acquisition of Spanish, one of them plans to enroll in The Spanish Cat next summer to brush up on her own skills!

The teachers at TSC always made me feel comfortable to speak Spanish. I have special memories of my teacher Dalia whose gentle nature and bright smile always reassured me even when I made a mistake. I will fondly remember my teacher Lili who is funny, spirited, organized and continually made me laugh. I have deep respect for my teacher Arturo; a man who was a public school teacher in the United States before returning to his home in Mexico. He is truly a master teacher and I only hope that some day I will be as excellent an educator as he is.

What a tremendous staff, Gracias: Lucy, Monica, Arturo, Lili, Dalia, Gina, Ema, Coquis y Paco!

So, if you're considering a Spanish school, go to "The Cat!" You won't be sorry. Feel free to contact me if you would like more information.

Maggie
Minneapolis, MN, USA

Having recently returned from The Spanish Cat I am anxious to write this review, as this was one of the most memorable experiences in all my world travel experiences. Most importantly the Spanish instruction was superb and I came away with enough information to last for years. It does take a great deal of work to continue to learn a language, but the foundation I received was far more then I expected. I stayed for two weeks and in both of my classes there were only two of us, which made the instruction very personal.

The accommodations were wonderful, clean and very spacious. And the food was fantastic. There is a substantial breakfast, a large lunch (la comida) and a small dinner. We brought some extra snacks, but rarely ate them. Although they did not serve wine, they made available some lovely wine glasses for the wine we bought in the village. I would not recommend staying in the guest house during rainy season, as the streets get flooded and the walk to and from is difficult, although you can use a taxi. We really enjoyed living and studying in the school, which turned out to be a wonderful communal experience. Don't expect a 5 star hotel, but do expect a 5 star in home stay.

The teaching and school staff were truly excellent, caring for all or our needs and making sure we were having fun as well as learning Spanish. They arranged for 6 of us to go Taxco one Saturday, which was great and had cooking and salsa dancing classes for us too.

Tepoztlan, known as one of the 5 magic villages in Mexico, is truly that. From the weekend mercado, to the two museums, the restaurants, and the people, our trip was not only educational but also an adventure. We will definitely return and can't recommend The Spanish Cat more highly.

Gary Topper

We just returned from a truly incredible 2-week stay at the Spanish Cat. We stayed in the main house, which we found to be spacious, comfortable, and clean--it may not be 5-star but it is certainly far,far better than a dormitory or hostel! We were pleasantly surprised at the delicious food that was served and delighted by the charming staff who did everything possible to make our stay easy and enjoyable.

The guest house is a large villa in a quiet neighborhood. Though it is only a 10-minute walk from the main house, late afternoon and evening monsoon rains made the trek not only muddy, but at times impossible due to a swollen creek crossing. Even then, however, it was easy to reach with a short taxi ride.

During most of our stay, there were 7 students attending classes and sharing meals. We enjoyed each other immensely and yet could easily retreat to our spacious bedrooms for study or quiet time.

Each class had only 1-2 students in it, and I must comment on the excellent teaching and personal attention. The teaching staff were outstanding and clearly very experienced in their work. We had grammar points explained to us in Spanish and also in English when necessary. We are still trying to catch up on all the material that was provided to us.

Finally, Tepoztlan itself is a magical place to learn Spanish. It is a quaint and very personable little town surrounded by mountains. The setting is beautiful, and we found the people to be warm and welcoming. Strolling through the market or reading signs in the museums provided great opportunities to practice Spanish, as did the Saturday excursion to Taxco that was arranged by the School.

We have studied several other languages, but this experience is at the top of our list. Highly recommended.

Tepoztlan is the antidote to touristy San Miguel de Allende, and an alternative to bustling big cities like Cuernavaca and Puebla. The Spanish Cat Language school offers both an excellent Spanish language program as well as lodging in two large homes complete with swimming pools (not Olympic size but sufficient for a quick swim on a hot day) and spacious grounds. Teachers are attentive, quick to assess your needs, and more than competent. The two lovely ladies who cook (3 meals a day) are treasures. They are gracious hosts and worth getting to know and appreciate. The homestay staff is there to make your stay memorable. The school is about a 30 minute walk to the center of town -- on cobblestone streets. Quiet during the week, the town is super busy on the weekends when tourists from Mexico City jam the main streets. Spanish Cat positives: all of the above plus a Friday salsa class, weekend excursions, and all of the fresh mountain air that you can breathe. Negatives: scorpions and large garden bugs appear at surprising moments, and, as all the students share meals it's easy to become quite chummy and speak way to much English. Force yourself to make conversation with the many Tepoztecos that you will meet as you wander around the town.