I cannot recommend Insituto Superior de Espanol highly enough! My six weeks with the school and my host family were the best I've had in eight months of travelling. While learning Spanish, the teachers and the curriculum made sure that we were learning in context: learn the word "beber" and you also learn about traditional Ecuadorian drinks and the holidays that they're associated with. Outside of the language classes themeselves, the school also offers cultural immersion activities which are well chosen and priced incredibly affordably, ensuring that you experience the best that Quito has to offer. Beyond these set offerings, the school is also very welcoming and equipped with any and all information that you might need to live/travel in Ecuador such assistance finding medical attention, where to buy cheap and good quality clothes, and how to navigate the bus system. With the support of both the school and my host family, I was able to settle in and experience Ecuador deeply. Ecuador has not been portrayed well in the news lately, but I felt safe during my time in Quito. The airport pick-up was a blessing - I had a safe ride who could give me immediate tips on Quito right away. The safety tips are mostly common sense: don't go out walking at night (but you can take an Uber), only drink filtered/boiled water, don't carry too much money on your person or walk around fully immersed in your phone. Because I am rather cautious, I did make sure to tell the school and my host family about my plans for the day so that they could give me advice (both safety and practical) on my plans. Another important thing to note is that electricity and water outages are common in Ecuador right now due to the drought. Bringing a power bank and adjusting your hours to match the sun are essential for time there.

It was an amazing experience with an amazing teacher in an amazing city. Before going to Quito I did not know much about Ecuador or Quito, but I soon fell in love with it. The school and Quito always felt very safe and happy despite what the news may say. The school is full of wonderful energy and helped me start to accomplish something I long felt impossible. To learn a new language. I hope many more people get the experience to visit this wonderful place.

I’ve just finished 3 weeks with this school. A week in Quito,week in Otolavo and a week with the travelling classroom. It was superb from start to finish. Eugenio picked us up from the airport and took us to our homestay. We were taken to the school on the first morning by our host so we knew the way. After lessons there were cultural visits in the afternoon. All the staff at the school were helpful and engaging giving me lots of time to practice my Spanish. Eugenio took us to the bus station at the end of the week to go to Otavalo which was about 2 hours away where we were met by our next host. We had afternoons free to explore the local area with help from Bebina our host. She took us to the station at the end of the week to get back to Quito to start our travelling classroom Adriana had been our teacher and she was again for this part so we had great consistency. This part was a fantastic blend of teaching, conversation and cultural learning. It’s a full on week, each place different from the last one. We traveled on buses with the locals for a full immersion. The accommodation was excellent and we ate in local restaurants. The week finished with a walk in Papallacta Wood and then a relaxing dip in the thermal spa. A fantastic finish to a fantastic trip. If you are thinking about this trip but worried about safety , don’t be. Quito is the same as any other large city but people are friendly and obliging. The locals were warm and welcoming in the other towns Eugenio and his team run an exceptional school with professional teaching. I wouldn’t hesitate to to recommend this school/trip and having found out from Eugenio on the way to our hotel for the final night that he also has a school in Colombia guess where I’ll be going to learn Spanish next!

Very good school and lovely teachers. I have learned and refreshed a lot. In my free time I could join good organized excursions which was offered as well by the school. Muchas gracias

I spent 5 days in Quito taking Spanish lessons and doing activities. Quito is modern and safe, but quite high in altitude. This one of the best Spanish classes I have taken. The Spanish spoken in Quito is very clear At age 67. . I felt safe at all times and would recommend this school to any other American or non native Spanish speaker.

Thank you Eugenio, staff and teachers. I loved my time in the classroom in Quito and traveling through the Amazon and Andes. My Spanish was minimal when I arrived. The patience of my teachers and encouragement to try speaking helped me to improve in 2 weeks. I really wanted to stay longer! I arrived at 1.30am in the morning and was met at the airport by Eugenio who took me to my accommodation. Definitely a safe way to travel at that hour as a solo female traveller. Highly recommend! ISE organised a homestay for me. The family were kind, inclusive and patient, helping me with my Spanish. It was easy to take the trolley bus to school and get a greater feel for life in Quito. There's a lot of online chat about safety in Quito. I felt very safe walking around in the daytime, being aware of my surroundings. Both my homestay and the school were in areas I felt super comfortable in. Choosing ISE was a fantastic decision and I highly recommend you do the same.

I did the 12 day traveling classroom “walking through the Andes “. It was a fantastic experience! I ended up being the only student in my tour, and Eugenio created a wonderful schedule for me. I had a combination of classroom instruction and sightseeing. All of the prepared travel arrangements were great! The lodging was a combination of a home stay, hostels, and hotels. I felt safe and so immersed in the culture. The instructors were very good and knowledgeable. It was a truly fabulous experience! I learned a lot and I have so many beautiful pictures of Ecuador! Thank you Eugenio!

The school and its wonderful staff members made mi feel at home and I felt I was part of the family right from the first moment. Highly professional tutors that care for students individual needs as well as , assistance with organising trips to the surrounding tourist attractions of Quito. I would highly recommend this school for any future Spanish student.

I had two weeks of wonderful experiences while studying Spanish in the Galápagos Islands, after a 3 day stay in Quito. It was the trip of a lifetime for me! Although I was traveling alone, I always felt that Eugenio and my teacher Adriana were available for me 24/7. My classes with Adriana were excellent. She is a kind, talented teacher with lots of patience when I couldn't remember things she had just taught me. Adriana encouraged me to speak Spanish during our entire time together. I stayed on San Cristobal, Santa Cruz, and Isabella Islands. All accommodations were nice, very clean, and included breakfast. (Although the wifi was sporadic in Galapagos, I suspect that's just the remote nature of the experience.) Eugenio had scheduled many excursions for me. Some activities, such as visits to parks, hikes, shopping, etc. were with Adriana and some were boating excursions or trips to volcanoes, which I did with a group. All in all, it was a very full schedule, with many experiences. I met many people from worldwide and was pleasantly exhausted when I returned home.

The course was intense, and I feel I learned a lot. I had the opportunity to participate in several excursions, and they were very well-planned and fun. The teachers and the staff is dedicated to offering the highest level possible of teaching and to ensuring that we have the best time possible in Quito.

I had an amazing time learning spanish at ISE! I did the Combined Spanish Course which was intense, so I would rather stay there for one week longer and just do the group lessons. Anyways I can recommend going there and staying with Val, she is awesome and really cares about the people, she also cooked vegetarian for me, which was great. Muchas gracias!!

I have dyslexia and have never learnt a language before. I did a one week course (1-2-1) with an amazing teacher. She adjusted the pace to match my learning speed - absolutely no pressure. She also used a variety of methods to help me grasp concepts. I have ended the course feeling empowered and more confident. I would encourage anyone with dyslexia to have a go ( definitely on a 1-2-1 basis).

I just returned from a week of ISE's traveling classroom in the Galapagos -- it was spectacular from start to finish. Eugenio was excellent and organized an absolutely perfect trip, and every detail was included. Somehow, he ensured the trip went smoothly, coordinating remotely from Quito! He made me feel incredibly welcome in Quito and offered support and advice at every turn. Vanessa is an incredible teacher, one of the best I've had in any Spanish class. The intensive week with her helped me more deeply understand nuances in the usage of the tenses. She built my confidence while setting high expectations and holding me to them, a difficult balance to strike, but she did so with ease and empathy. She was also constantly teaching; at every meal and every outing, she made interactive lessons for us that I forgot were lessons. If you are lucky enough to have Vanessa as a teacher, you will learn a lot more than Spanish; you will learn empathy, life lessons, and the beauty and strength of human character.

The traveling classroom was arranged perfectly with great accommodations and just the right combination of study and excursions.

I had a great experience learning Spanish and also exploring areas around Quito. I stayed with a local family arranged by the School and that was a wonderful way to understand the culture and language. School director, Eugenio, picked me up from the airport and arranged all the trips for me. I would highly recommend this school. Teachers and staff are very helpful and friendly. School location is also very central. There are lot of good places to walk around and explore.