NOT recommended
Reviewed by
Texas State student, 2008-08-12
If you are looking for spring break 2000 with little language instruction, this is your choice. Otherwise, don't expect to learn a lick of Spanish, as poor instruction is given in the oversized classes with little emphasis on Spanish conversation; most of the class carries on in English discussing the prior evening's events! Canceled classes are not credited and structure and organization is lacking. Free internet and telephone service (one laptop and one phone for 70 people) was supposedly provided, but abruptly taken away when the director just felt like doing so. The town itself rages on tourists, and beware of the pirate taxis that hold you up by gunpoint for your belongings, as well as the citizens of nearby Boca Vieja, where your homestay is likely to be behind barbed wire and wrought-iron gates. Hopefully you'll get more than rice and beans for your meals, minus the cockroaches!
I'm one for the experience of third-world cultures, but empty promises and failure to obtain any kind of language acquisition is just plain unacceptable. I recommend going to another school nearby, or just plain skipping Manuel Antonio altogether for a completely different site.
Costa Rica Directory 
