Playalingua del Caribe - International Language Center

The beds are short and built into the structure of the building. If you’re taller than 6’0”, you won’t fit. Trust me. I’m 5’10” and it was a bit tight.

Each week you’ll have a different instructor. They post the schedule on Monday AM and despite what seems organized, there’s all sorts of last minute changes. I found this incredibly frustrating. Just when I was making progress with one instructor and feeling confident, I had a new one. It took 1-2 days for the new instructor to establish what I needed and by then, it was already Wednesday. None the teachers have degrees in teaching and while this isn’t a deal breaker, some had no idea how to teach. I found the quality of instruction to vary considerably. As a PhD candidate in Education, I fail to see the pedagogical purpose of the rotating instructors for such beginning students, particularly when there seems to be little use of the “must-buy-book-that-every-instructor-will-use” given to at check-in for $25 (a 65% markup). We used the book 3x in one month. Waste. Note: I began my courses as a beginnger and ended after one month in the intermediate II level.

For me, I chose to stay here b/c of the free internet. Don’t. The wireless range is only in the front of the building where the office is. If you’re planning on getting on the web from your room, you won’t. Interesting that this informaiton is not on the website.

Originally, I thought the housing and lesson packages were a good deal. I stayed for 1 month and the housing bill was $686 – cheap for my NYC standards. However, several classmates left after one week and found hotels that were very, very nice for $450/month. I was the schmo that stayed because I wanted to roll out of bed and go to class. Trust me – they had really nice rooms in these other places. The rooms at PL are a bit prison-like. They’re very, very tiny.

For what it’s worth, the woman who seems to run the place – Clare – is a bit odd. She stares at you and the staff seems kind of shady. When my bill came, she tried to up the exchange rate by 10%. It was “school policy”. What? Plus, if I were to use a credit card, it would be an additional 2.5% more. Ok, I’d be willing to pay that fee since it's reltively common throughout Latin America for the CC increase, but +10% on an exchange rate? What the f? I asked around w/ other students and it seems that this upcharge is highly negotiable. So I waited to pay my bill on the last day of my month there (they weren’t happy – they would have preferred that I pay each week as the week ends) and when the exchange rate was at its lowest. At that point, they just wanted their money so I was able to get the bill charged to my credit card for only +3% from the total and w/ an exchange. All transactions are in USD, btw.

Bottom line – if you want to really learn Spanish, don’t go here. Find a legitimate, academically-affiliated program elsewhere. This place is full of Spring Breakers enjoying the last round of college freedom. Instructional quality is inconsistent, students are here for a variety of reasons, many of which don’t have much to do with learning the language well enough beyond asking for a cerveza or a lap dance. Keep looking.

I would not recommend staying here. I signed up for classes at the school and stayed in the residence for one week, and both the course and the accommodation were disastrous. Everyone in the office is completely unorganized, and acted as though I was hugely putting them out if I asked any questions or needed anything. The day that I moved in, the electricity was out in the building and no one bothered to mention that fact to me. In the evening when the sun went down but it was too early to go to bed, I would have hoped that the staff would have provided candles or something for their guests, but no information or help was given.

When I switched from a room with no bathroom (because the communal bathroom was disgusting) to a private room, I was made to wait a full extra day before moving because they said that they had to clean the room. When I moved in, the room was far from clean, with big clumps of black hair in the shower. I would come back from class and find my door left wide open, with no one inside, apparently because the cleaning staff likes to go back and forth between rooms and can't be bothered to close and then re-open the doors. My cell phone disappeared from my room, and when I told the administration, all they did was ask the cleaning staff if they had seen it. No apologies were made. Another student had his ipod stolen after he left it in one of the hammocks at night. The front gate is locked at 10 pm, and so only someone within the school could have taken it. Again, the administration did nothing upon hearing that this item was stolen.

I've seen numerous positive reviews for Playa Lingua on other websites, however, I've been told that the school has recently changed directors and that things have been going downhill since that time. The classes are hugely unorganized, and the instructors are not qualified. The classes basically involve the teachers discussing whatever they feel like on that day, with very little substantive work--in short, the courses are useless.

If a student tries to pay with credit card, the staff charges a completely unreasonable exchange rate that results in a student paying hundreds of dollars more. I could go on, but suffice it to say that the staff is dishonest and only out to grab as much of a profit as they can at the expense of students--do yourself a favor and choose another school. I've heard great reviews about Solexico. If you're just looking for cheap accommodation in Playa Del Carmen, there are better alternatives, such as hotels with a private bathroom for 30-40 a night, or even hotel rentals for a month starting around 450-600.

If your staying for a few weeks its a great option if you want to brush up on your Spansih. They also teach other languages. Classes were affordable and I believe you can get credit for them in some US schools but I would check with them 1st. The school is a few feet from quinta avenida (shopping) but on the quieter end further from the beach. The beach is a short walk and money exchange booths are near by.

Breakfast is included and self serve in tlhe semi enclose breakfast area while I was there the chef would fix eggs anyway you wanted them, scones, toast, yogurt and lots of fruits including fresh papaya, pineapples and melons. There was always cold water in the cooler in the breakfast area.

I booked an non private double room and was supposed to have a roommate but never did. Double rooms can be booked as private for an extra cost and they have a private bath/washroom while private rooms share a communal bath/washroom. The beds were very comfy with firm matresses. The rooms were not luxurious but they were cute, clean and comfortable. The room I stayed in had a lower level balcony with a view of the street. All rooms had A/C. The student rooms are on one side of the court yard while the library and classrooms were on the other. The school has its own little internet cafe type setup in te library at affordable prices. There is a pool and hammocks in the couryard. The staff was very friendly and helpful.

Newer reviews state that the instructors were changed frequently but the only change I had during my stay was because I tested out of the beginner level. (however things probably have changed since 06') I brushed up a lot on my spanish & met a few grade school teachers from the US while I was there as well.