Old don Quijote Spanish School Barcelona — Local services in Barcelona

I studied at the School for three weeks in July 2015. I was initially sceptical about the school due to a number of previous bad reviews but thoroughly enjoyed my time there and highly recommend it. An important consideration of when to study is the time of year you go - it was the middle of summer when I went so it was very hot and the school had a lot of uni students. I am sure that at other times the weather would be more pleasant (it was 35 degrees so nice but a little hot) and there would be a lot less students (a bad thing). The school is air conditioned and has a lot of class rooms so it was well established to manage the summer period but be prepared to sweat anytime you are outside and most accommodation (other than hotel) will most likely not have airconditioning.

I stayed in host family accommodation for one week and then a student flat for the second two weeks so have some perspective on both. I wanted to stay in a flat for the entire period but as it was summer there wasnt a room available until the second week. For the host family accommodation I was staying with an old lady and one other student in Poble Sec which was about a 20 min walk. The accommodation was small but had everything I needed. I couldnt speak any Spanish at the beginning of my stay and the lady couldnt speak a word of English so it was an interesting experience. I would recommend homestay for people who have some level of spanish proficiency or who were staying for a longer period of time so that they could have a more engaging stay with their host family. The student flat was quite large and well furnished. I enjoyed staying there and getting to know the other students I lived with. However, some of the other student flats were not as large or nice and I heard that a couple of people were in rooms which didnt have windows. Regardless, if students were not happy with their accommodation they could easily speak to the school and change rooms / accommodation type (if available).

There is a test during the morning of the first day and this is used by the school to assess your ability to place you in a class. This is obviously also influenced by the ability of the other students and how to best group students. There were a lot of people there whilst I was there (at least 150+) so it was easier for the school to group people. I was initially placed in a class which was above my ability but you can engage with the admin staff and change classes quite easily. The teachers were very good, the syllabus was well structured and thorough and I learnt a lot whilst I was there.

The facilities within the school were very good. There were 25+ classrooms over three floors with a large central common area and outdoor area. There were also food and drink machines.

Finally, Barcelona is a great city to study in. Whilst Barcelona is within Catalonia the fact that the people spoke Catalan as well as Castilian did not detract from my ability to learn or engage with them - in fact I found it very interesting learning about the different regions, particularly as there are ongoing political debates about Catalan trying to gain independence. There is a lot to do in and around Barcelona and whether you see the sights through school tours or by yourself it will take a long time to see it all. I think that if you are planning on staying for a short or extended period of time (+1 month) then Barcelona would be a great location.

I only wish I was able to stay for longer and see my spanish improve even more. I would love to study through the...

I've spent 2 weeks at Don Quijote for an "intense" language school (20h of classes, 5h of conversation classes, 5h of "extra" classes - in my case Business Spanish. The classes were excellent; small groups, a variety of teachers, the ability to move around higher or lower levels more suitable to your level. We had some homework (rarely more than an hour a day, usually much less) and in class we focused on a combination of grammar / writing / reading / listening / speaking.

The school looks and feels new, with a big backyard where you can hang out during the break, and a library where rarely anyone ever sits. It's located quite centrally so you can easily hop out and grab a coffee around during the break.

The only thing to note is that the shared apartment, which I rented through the school, was rather basic in furniture / facilities (oven didn't work, washing machine didn't work, but fortunately the wifi was great) and although in a central location, located just on top of a bar, so there was quite some noise outside the window. Pricing of the apartment was in line with Airbnb given...

I just completed two weeks of Spanish classes at Don Quijote's facility in Barcelona. The classes were excellent due to a combination of good professors and students (variety of ages) who wanted to learn.

I had signed up for a homestay in Barcelona, as I had done with Don Quijote in Granada two years ago. The stay in Granada was great, but unfortunately it did not work out so well in Barcelona and I was able to move to the Casa de Lenquas on Diputació which worked out fine. I spoke to a number of other students and many of them had made their own housing arrangements. Some were made via Airbnb which seems to have a lot of very reasonably priced rentals that are within walking distance of Don Quijote's facility. If I go back, I'll probably book...