Playa del Carmen is located in the center of Mexico’s Cancun-Tulum corridor in the state of Quintana Roo. In the heart of the Yucatan Peninsula, this small city is approximately 35 minutes from Cancun’s international airport. Playa del Carmen attracts people from all over the world because of its relaxed, tropical atmosphere and its unmatched beautiful beaches.
Playa del Carmen, with its 60,000 permanent residents, is a great place to enjoy the cultural and historic richness of Mexico and the Mayan people.
Spanish Courses in Playa del Carmen at International House Riviera Maya
International House Riviera Maya, is a member of the International House World organization, has been set up in collaboration with International House Barcelona (Spain) to offer Full Immersion Spanish Courses in Mexico to students from all over the world.
The International House World Organization, founded in 1953, is a network of more than 150 schools around the world, all committed to the highest standards in education and business. A key aim of International House is to raise the standards of language teaching around the world. One important way in which they do this is through Teacher Training courses for which International House has a world-wide reputation. They train our own (as well as many other schools’) teachers to enable language students to learn the language of their choice simply, quickly and efficiently in a rich linguistic and cultural environment.
To ensure that every school maintains the high standards that are specified in the Affiliation Agreement, an external assessor visits each school every two years and conducts a thorough investigation into all aspects of the school’s activities. These visits ensure that the unparalleled reputation International House enjoys for the quality of its services is safeguarded.
International House Riviera Maya is located in the center of Playa del Carmen, just one block from the “5ta Avenida”, the city’s main pedestrian street which is filled with shops and restaurants and just a couple of blocks from the beach.
The school consists of two adjoining buildings: a colonial style house with a domed roof and terrace at the front which houses the reception, two large student apartments and a new, purpose-built building at the back that contains the teachers’ room, the study room, the Internet access room, offices, the classrooms and two more student apartments.
The International House Riviera Maya facilities include 10 spacious classrooms in total, all with air-conditioning and views of the garden, which is full of exotic trees and plants. There is also the bar area in the garden where students can relax and socialize after class. WI-FI access is available throughout the building. The school residence is located just five minutes away.
Students at International House Riviera Maya come from all over the world. The majority of them are from the USA and Europe, with a smaller percentage of Asians and even some Brazilians who come to take Spanish Language Courses at IH.
Please click on the following tabs for more information on our Spanish Courses in Playa del Carmen:
International House Riviera Maya – Spanish Courses in Playa Del Carmen
Minimum enrollment age: 16. Prices include registration fee, number of lessons as listed below, language level testing on arrival, certificate of completion and a social and cultural program (entrance fees and transportation not included). Each lesson is 55 minutes long.
Intensive Spanish Courses: 20 Spanish Lessons per week. Maximum of 8 students per class (average 4-5). Course consists of 20 lessons per week (4 Spanish lessons per day from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM, Monday through Friday). A program of social activities is included in the prices.
Private Spanish Courses: 15, 20 or 30 private Spanish lessons per week, One-to-one Spanish Language Training, all levels from Beginner to Advanced. With private lessons the content of the course as well as the tempo is personalized according to the student‘s needs and wishes. Therefore students are afforded the maximum amount of flexibility and individual support. Private Spanish courses start every Monday for all levels from Beginner to Advanced.
Spanish Courses in Playa del Carmen, Mexico – Prices 2024:
(All programs: NO application fee. A non-refundable USD 100.00 deposit is required at the time of enrollment. Deposit will be subtracted from final program invoice. See Application Procedures)
| 1 week | 2 weeks | 3 weeks | 4 weeks | Extra Weeks | 12 Weeks | 24 Weeks | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Intensive Spanish Course 20 Lessons per week | $245 | $490 | $735 | $980 | $225 | $2,700 | $4,680 |
| Private Course 10 Lessons per week | $340 | $680 | $1,020 | $1,360 | $340 | ||
| Private Course 20 Lessons per week | $640 | $1,280 | $640 |
All prices listed in US Dollars
2024 Starting Dates – International House Riviera Maya Spanish Courses: Intermediate and advanced students may start any Monday. Complete beginners MUST start on the following dates: 8 or 22 January / 6 or 19 February / 4 or 18 March / 1, 15 or 29 April / 13 or 27 May / 10 or 24 June / 8 or 22 July / 5 or 19 August / 2, 17 or 30 September / 14 or 28 October / 11 or 25 November / 2 or 16 December. Notes: When a holiday falls on a Monday, classes will start on Tuesday.
Starting Dates for all Private Spanish Courses in Playa del Carmen: Every Monday year-round.
Holidays 2024: 1 January, 5 February, 18 March, 28 March, 29 March, 1 May, 16 September, 20 November, 25 December. Classes missed due to public holidays are not made up.
Additional Spanish Courses in Playa del Carmen:
Business Spanish Courses:
International House Riviera Maya offers Business Spanish courses designed to help students who need to use the language in a working environment. The aim of these courses is to help improve the student’s level of competence in many typical work-related activities such as participating in meetings, using the telephone for business, negotiating and selling, making presentations, etc. Students are also introduced to a wide range of business vocabulary and given an insight into the sort of cultural differences that they may encounter while doing business in Mexico. This course combines the Intensive Group Spanish Course (20 lessons per week) with 10 one-to-one lessons per week which focus on Business Spanish.
Starting dates: Same as the Intensive Courses (see above).
Price 2024: USD 585.00 per week
Medical Spanish Courses:
This course combines the Intensive Group Spanish Course (20 lessons per week) with 10 one-to-one lessons per week which focus on Medical Spanish and it is geared towards students in all types of medical professions (doctors, nurses, home care-workers, etc.). Optional visits to observe and meet Spanish speaking doctors or nurses in a healthcare center are available.
Starting dates: Same as the Intensive Courses (see above).
Price 2024: USD 585.00 per week
Combination Spanish Courses:
Students may combine their Spanish course with activities such as Scuba Diving, Cooking or Dancing. These courses must be booked in conjunction with a Spanish course.
Spanish and Cooking: Learn to make the food we all know and love, the true Mexican way. Five afternoons per week. Price: USD 180.00 per week (in addition to the Spanish course).
Spanish and Scuba Diving: Playa del Carmen is famous for its Scuba Diving. Don’t miss out on swimming with some of the most amazing marine life on the planet. Prices include all equipment and manuals.
All dives and other activities are programmed so as not to clash with the Spanish lessons taken in the mornings. Two different courses are offered:
Diving for Beginners: a 3-day course leading to the PADI Open Water certificate for dives of up to 18 meters. Price: USD 645.00 (in addition to Spanish course).
Advanced Diving Course: a 3-day course that leads to the PADI certificate for dives of up to 30 meters. Price: USD 530.00 (in addition to Spanish Course)
IMPORTANT: Diving prices subject to change without notice since diving portion is offered by a third party.
Spanish and Dancing: Put on your dancing shoes and learn from some of the best Latin dance teachers around. Five afternoons per week Price: USD 180.00 per week (in addition to the Spanish course).
International House Playa Del Carmen – Accommodations
International House´s students have several housing options.
Host Family: Carefully selected host families provide a home away from home. This gives students the opportunity to further appreciate the beauty of Mexico and its people. The majority of our Mexican host families live in relatively new, one or two-story houses, although some live in apartments. A typical house will have a living room/dining room, a kitchen and bathroom and 3 or 4 bedrooms. There is often a yard outside which people use as an extension of the house. Most families live within a 20 minute walk from the school.
Apartments and Shared Apartments: There is a limited number of furnished studios and apartments available for rent. The normal minimum period for renting an apartment is 2 weeks, although shorter rentals can sometimes be arranged on request. These apartments are entirely self-catering, which means that no meals are provided. Apartments are centrally located and are therefore between 5-20 minutes from the school on foot or by public transport. The school also has a small number of apartments on-site (see below for details).
School Residence: Students that desire more independence may choose to stay at the school residence. The student residence opened in June 2005 and quickly became students’ most popular accommodation option. The residence is located in the center of Playa del Carmen, in a very quiet street, next to the town’s main church and just a few blocks (5-minute walk) from the school. The building has three floors and a basement. The ground floor consists of the reception area, an office, the kitchen and 6 bedrooms; there are a further 10 bedrooms on the first floor and the second floor has 6 bedrooms and four terraces. All 22 bedrooms have twin beds and each bedroom has its own private bathroom. Bedrooms also have a desk, a TV, ceiling fans and air-conditioning, as well as a small fridge. Room prices include breakfast daily.
Accommodation prices 2024:
| Housing Description | One week | Two weeks | Three weeks | Four weeks | Extra week | Extra day |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Host Families: Private room / breakfast | $295 | $590 | $885 | $1,180 | $295 | $50 |
| Host Families: Private room / 2 meals a day | $340 | $680 | $1,020 | $1,360 | $340 | $59 |
| Studio Apartment: Private room / no meals | $450 | $900 | $1,350 | $1,800 | $450 | N/A |
| 1 Bedroom Apartment: no meals | $600 | $1,200 | $1,800 | $2,400 | $600 | N/A |
| Residence: Single Room, breakfast | $280 | $560 | $840 | $1,120 | $252 | $45 |
| Residence: Double Room **, Breakfast | $465 | $930 | $1,325 | $1,748 | $437 | $72 |
** Double rooms can only be booked by two students traveling together. Prices are per room.
Activities
IH Riviera Maya organizes a regular program of social activities in the school including welcome cocktail parties, conversation exchange evenings with Mexican students studying English, talks on different aspects of Mexican and Mayan culture, salsa and Mexican cooking classes, games on the beach, film projections with commentaries, etc., as well as special activities for days like Mexican Independence, Día de Muertos and Día de Reyes.
They also organize excursions to some of the region’s most interesting locations such as the ancient Mayan cities of Tulum and Chichen Itza; the island of Cozumel, famous for its coral reefs and marine life; or one of the region’s many superb nature reserves.
You are given a copy of the social program planned for the following 2-week period when you arrive, with a typical program including activities like a walking tour of Playa, a cooking class, games on the beach, Mexican films, games on the beach, Spanish conversations, “kermesses”, etc.
Included in your course fee: Spanish guide on visits and excursions, welcome and farewell cocktails, all activities held in the school, visits to places of interest in Playa del Carmen and all materials.
Not included: Excursions outside Playa del Carmen.
Airport transfers: from Cancun are available at additional cost (prices are one way): USD 130 per person each way for arrivals between 8:00 AM and 6:00 PM (surcharges may apply for transfers at all other times). Transfers for two students traveling together are USD 170 each way.