Academia Pradoventura
Academia Pradoventura
5
9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Monday
9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
About
Spanish language school in Prado del Rey (Cádiz), in the Sierra de Grazalema natural park in Andalusia. Spanish learning experiences with expert native teachers using a very communicative method and combining learning with real life immersion activities. You will be speaking Spanish all the time in our local Andalusian white village Prado del Rey, unspoilt by international tourism whose inhabitants are friendly and open-minded. Our activities to practice Spanish are: Hiking, Canyoning, Climbing, Canoeing, Horseback Riding, Birdwatching, Mountainbiking and more with expert local guides in the Natural Parks "Sierra de Grazalema", "Los Alcornocales" and "Sierra de las Nieves", guided culinary tasting sessions and workshops at small local producers: olive oil mills, wineries, cheese manufacturers, grain mills, basket weavers and other artisans; Guided cultural visits to Ronda, Grazalema, Zahara de la Sierra, Setenil de las Bodegas, Arcos de la Frontera and the Costa de la Luz.
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5.0
89 reviews
Excellent
80
Very good
8
Average
1
Poor
0
Terrible
0
tmzm
Fairfax, CA6 contributions
Oct 2023 • Friends
Fabulous on all levels! Anja and José Luis are wonderful, fun, and energetic hosts! The classes - taught by fun and knowledgeable teachers - are small and personal. The varied afternoon activities (hiking, olive oil tasting, wine tasting, and flamenco dancing) allow a gimps into local history, culture, and nature - while learning and practicing more even more Spanish.
Written 27 October 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Amy D
2 contributions
Aug 2018 • Family
I highly recommend this Spanish language course. They really tailored the class for each of us in the family. Firstly, my boys being active and at different levels was a challenge at any place to figure out the optimal learning environment. They not only incorporated a sports camp integrated with other local Spaniards but also had the language course with activities. For example, my boys loved soccer so they developed a game with using soccer players and a finger ball, coloring various flags of national teams. We visited during the soccer world cup so this was very important when they interacted with the kids in camp and understood the countries in Spanish and had practiced expressing themselves. It was also ideal location everything in walking distance minus the camp (but that wasn't a problem at all). I do have to admit the accommodations aren't high end but if your going to learn and become immersed then you have to adjust to the life. I did have some issues with hot water and TV but Anja, immediately left her dinner party and addressed the concerns. So that does mean the world when you just want to take a warm shower and someone goes out of their way for you continuously. People in the community are very friendly. I'm pretty fluent but needed a little more help. The classes helped me work on my dificencies and helped me gain confidence to practice with locals and make friends with other parents from the camp! We then spent another week in a very touristy area, Marbella, in which boys took more classes and anther soccer camp with "high end accommodations" but we just wanted to go back to Prado de Rey. The kids learned more because they interacted more with the kids due to the people. Same with my husband and I. Plus the price is much better.
Written 25 February 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for your review. I am really glad to hear that you and your kids enjoyed the Spanish course and the sports camp and that you all learned a lot. We hope to see you again some time.
Written 25 February 2019
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Jeannny
Frankfurt, Germany103 contributions
Apr 2018 • Solo
I haven't attended a course at the academia itself but instead went for the Yoga & Spanish course which takes place in the nearby Yoga Retreat, which I can certainly recommend :-). We were 5 ladies in total so a nice size for a course. Our teacher Ana who came to the retreat for the lessons was really great. She tried to make the lessons as funny and diverse as possible, including games and lots of laughing. Unfortunately the course was only planned for one week (5 days, 4 lessons/day) and as a beginner I hadn't really the feeling that my Spanish improved that much during the week. Now I can understand why it was originally only planned as "advanced" and not for beginners. I would recommend to start with a longer course at the beginning and then continue learning at the Academia/Yoga retreat :-). But in general I certainly can recommend the classes!
Written 13 May 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thanks a lot for your positive review. We are more than happy to hear that you enjoyed the lessons. It's normal that you can't learn to communicate perfectly in one week and we agree with your recommendation to do a longer course at the school and to do the course at the retreat centre for advanced learners. Hope to see you again!
Written 14 May 2018
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Shootsfromthehip
London, UK6 contributions
Aug 2017 • Family
My 14 year old son took language lessons with Academia Pradoventura in the mornings (to boost his confidence and ability in Spanish) whilst we were on a family holiday. We stayed on the outskirts of Prado Del Rey, in a hotel which Anja arranged for us. Prado Del Rey is a lovely and very pretty little town (be prepared for some hill walks though!). It's very family friendly and the people welcoming and helpful. Usefully to people learning to speak Spanish, there is very little English spoken in the town, so we were forced to use and improve our Spanish. That said, the locals are so willing and so helpful that language is no barrier. The Town is surprisingly lively in the evenings with local bars and restaurants spilling out onto the streets with a busy but gentle hubbub!
The superb language school is run by Anja and José Luis. Both are extremely accommodating and helpful and have excellent English, German and Spanish. Our son was made very welcome and found himself in a suitable language class, which given he was on summer holiday, he was surprisingly happy in! His language skills improved but more noticeably, so did his confidence. It was great to send him off to buy things, ask for information, pay bills and have conversations with the locals ...and for him to feel happy to do so. He actually said he’s looking forward to going back to his Spanish lessons at school now. What more can I say?!
With language lessons over in the morning, we had the afternoons, evenings and weekends to explore and to take family trips around the area. Anja offered a number of activities with local companies and we took advantage of an evening walk (with local history) and canyoning (3 times!) but we could have taken advantage of more. Anja was very happy to help us with plans and suggestions for our own activities too.
I’ve noticed that other reviewers have mentioned the need for a car and I would agree with this. The town has many facilities but if you want to get out and about (and you probably will), I would say a car is essential. The roads are very good and empty compared with the UK. Whilst staying in Prado Del Rey, we took trips to Gibraltar, Seville, Cadiz, Jerez, Ronda, into the national parks and around the Pueblos Blancos. It really is a very beautiful part of Andalucia, with such a wealth of history. We also went to watch a great local youth football match and a match in Seville (Seville vs Istanbul). We went karting, and visited a waterpark. We didn’t make it onto a sherry tour and sadly didn’t get to see the horses at the Royal Andalusian School in Jerez, oh, and there are the caves and the salt mines….so there is much more to do than we managed to fit in.
All in all, a great holiday. The staff at Academia Pradoventura was excellent, the village beautiful, the activities exciting and varied and as a bonus, my son improved his Spanish! If my husband and I were braver, we would have taken Spanish lessons too! Maybe next time….
The superb language school is run by Anja and José Luis. Both are extremely accommodating and helpful and have excellent English, German and Spanish. Our son was made very welcome and found himself in a suitable language class, which given he was on summer holiday, he was surprisingly happy in! His language skills improved but more noticeably, so did his confidence. It was great to send him off to buy things, ask for information, pay bills and have conversations with the locals ...and for him to feel happy to do so. He actually said he’s looking forward to going back to his Spanish lessons at school now. What more can I say?!
With language lessons over in the morning, we had the afternoons, evenings and weekends to explore and to take family trips around the area. Anja offered a number of activities with local companies and we took advantage of an evening walk (with local history) and canyoning (3 times!) but we could have taken advantage of more. Anja was very happy to help us with plans and suggestions for our own activities too.
I’ve noticed that other reviewers have mentioned the need for a car and I would agree with this. The town has many facilities but if you want to get out and about (and you probably will), I would say a car is essential. The roads are very good and empty compared with the UK. Whilst staying in Prado Del Rey, we took trips to Gibraltar, Seville, Cadiz, Jerez, Ronda, into the national parks and around the Pueblos Blancos. It really is a very beautiful part of Andalucia, with such a wealth of history. We also went to watch a great local youth football match and a match in Seville (Seville vs Istanbul). We went karting, and visited a waterpark. We didn’t make it onto a sherry tour and sadly didn’t get to see the horses at the Royal Andalusian School in Jerez, oh, and there are the caves and the salt mines….so there is much more to do than we managed to fit in.
All in all, a great holiday. The staff at Academia Pradoventura was excellent, the village beautiful, the activities exciting and varied and as a bonus, my son improved his Spanish! If my husband and I were braver, we would have taken Spanish lessons too! Maybe next time….
Written 8 September 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We are more than happy to read that and hope to see you again in the future. We hope your son will be doing fine in his Spanish lessons at school during the rest of the school year!
Written 12 September 2017
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
tinabrunner
Munich, Germany1 contribution
Apr 2017 • Solo
The owners of the language school Anja and Jose Luis are very nice and very much interested in showing you their hometown and getting you excited about the little village and its people (we were given a tour of the village and did a walk to the Prado viewpoint accompanied with Spanish explanations).
The Spanish class was great with a very motivate teacher, who tailored the class to our goals and needs. As stated on the site, Spanish classes are according to levels and may be shortened depending on the number of students. We were only two students, so that our class schedule was 2, 5 hours per day. I valued that Anja gave us the possibility to listen into another class, which allowed us to more fully immerse ourselves in the Spanish language.
Prado del Rey is a nice little village with friendly people, closely situated to two national parks. However, it must be noted that it has very limited bus connections, so that visiting the bigger towns like Cadiz or Sevilla or the surrounding pueblos blancos in the afternoon is nearly impossible without a car (at least in April). Similarly it is hard to get to the starting point of hikes in the national parks without a car and there are no rental bikes, which would bring you closer to the hiking trails in the national park.
There were hardly any side activities in the afternoon, which are at an additional cost, partly because there was not the required quorum of participants. Luckily I had pre-booked riding sessions and one student had a car, so that from time to time we were able to get out of town to explore the surrounding towns and countryside.
The group apartments were of normal standard, but there is no internet connection, which I found surprising and would have necessitated to utilise certain language apps.
For me personally there was a divergence between the raised expectations (especially in terms of the accessibility of places and the side activities) versus the real situation. Notwithstanding, we were a good group and so it worked out in the end.
The Spanish class was great with a very motivate teacher, who tailored the class to our goals and needs. As stated on the site, Spanish classes are according to levels and may be shortened depending on the number of students. We were only two students, so that our class schedule was 2, 5 hours per day. I valued that Anja gave us the possibility to listen into another class, which allowed us to more fully immerse ourselves in the Spanish language.
Prado del Rey is a nice little village with friendly people, closely situated to two national parks. However, it must be noted that it has very limited bus connections, so that visiting the bigger towns like Cadiz or Sevilla or the surrounding pueblos blancos in the afternoon is nearly impossible without a car (at least in April). Similarly it is hard to get to the starting point of hikes in the national parks without a car and there are no rental bikes, which would bring you closer to the hiking trails in the national park.
There were hardly any side activities in the afternoon, which are at an additional cost, partly because there was not the required quorum of participants. Luckily I had pre-booked riding sessions and one student had a car, so that from time to time we were able to get out of town to explore the surrounding towns and countryside.
The group apartments were of normal standard, but there is no internet connection, which I found surprising and would have necessitated to utilise certain language apps.
For me personally there was a divergence between the raised expectations (especially in terms of the accessibility of places and the side activities) versus the real situation. Notwithstanding, we were a good group and so it worked out in the end.
Written 18 April 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for taking the time to write a review about your stay. We are glad you were satisfied with the language classes, the accommodation and horse riding activities that you had booked. We adapt the program to the students' needs as much as possible, taking into consideration the group as a whole. However, it is very difficult for us to meet the expectations of everybody. In Spain, and many other countries, public transport in the rural areas is not as well developped as in the cities. You are able to get to Cádiz, Seville and Jerez by public transport, but you need a whole day to make the trip worth it. That is why we recommend to do it on the weekends. Additionally, we have a variety of guided cultural excursions to choose from, which are designed to gain further language practice and to learn about Spain's history, culture and nature. Furthermore, there is a range of tasting sessions of local products and outdoor activities. We organize these extracurricular activities depending on the group's interests. Since the leisure time activities are optional, everybody is free to decide whether they want to join the activities or not. Finally, we do recommend to our students to rent a car or bring their own car if they want to expore the surroundings on their own. In your case, we were not in direct contact before your arrival because you booked short term through our horseriding partner.
Finally, we are glad that you enjoyed your stay in spite of these difficulties.
Written 12 September 2017
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
oliaiv2017
Munich, Germany2 contributions
Mar 2016 • Solo
One years ago, I was planing a big trip to Spain and South America. But..I had never learned spanish! I needed to find a spanish school in Spain where I could learn the language in a short time. I surched in Internet and I was almost desperate because of the hudge amount of spanish schools in Spain! Which school I have to chose? Actually, I wanted to visit a school in a big city like Barcelona or Madrid. But then..I just discovered Academia Pradoventura. I have never heard somethin about Prado del Rey before. I saw in Internet, it is a small city, the opposite of what I actually wanted BUT deeply in me I had the feeling, this is the right place for me to learn spanisch. I decided to follow this feeling, I boooked a 3 weeks spanisch classes and I have gone to Prado del Rey. Showing back, I only can say- this was absolutely the right decision.The location of the school is very beautiful, with beautiful nature surounded. Te school is very familiar, the teachers very professional and the owner very warm hearted people. On the end of the third week I was able to comunicate in Spanisch and to understand what the spanisch people were talking to me. The time I spent in Prado del Rey leave wunderful memories in me. It is the perfect combination of learn spanisch in a very authentical environment, learn spanisch in small groups, meet very nice people around the world, make connectiones to native people, learn a lot about spanisch culture, make a wonderful trips in the beatuful Andalusia (organized by the school or the students) and to eat a very deliciose food (of course with cervezza ;-))
I can highly recommend this school to everybody who is looking for a qualitative and authentical spanisch school in Spain.
I can highly recommend this school to everybody who is looking for a qualitative and authentical spanisch school in Spain.
Written 3 January 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you very much for your review. We are glad that your decision to come to Prado del Rey proved to be the right one for you!
Written 24 November 2017
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Lindsey C
Durham, NC18 contributions
Jul 2016 • Business
I brought a group of students here in July 2016 and could not have been more impressed with the language school. It is well organized, has well-prepared, experienced language instructors, and has wonderful host families. Prado del Rey is a beautiful location, and the small town makes for a perfect place to learn Spanish, while still being close to major tourist attractions like Sevilla, Ronda and Cádiz. The school also organized outings for my students which included and exchange with other kids a camp, bread-making, canyoning, and a trip to Ronda. I am a community college Spanish teacher myself, and I wish all of my students could experience this place!
Written 26 July 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you so much for your review! We enjoyed the time with your students very much and look forward to seeing you again next year.
Written 22 November 2016
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Caro G
Berlin, Germany2 contributions
Mar 2016 • Solo
If you are looking for a place where you can enjoy the beautiful places in Andalucia AND learn Spanish then this school is definetly the right place for you!
I started with knowing only a few words on my first day and after my third week I understood almost everything in class and could even talk a little :)
The classes are ONLY in Spanish in small groups with great teachers which gets you acquainted with the language REALLY FAST! I fell in love with that beautiful language very fast!
When you get to Prado del Rey its almost like coming home. Everything has a very familiar atmosphere with super nice people. I already miss my Familia de Prado.:)
I had an awesome stay at the Academia Pradoventura and I'm sure you will too!
I started with knowing only a few words on my first day and after my third week I understood almost everything in class and could even talk a little :)
The classes are ONLY in Spanish in small groups with great teachers which gets you acquainted with the language REALLY FAST! I fell in love with that beautiful language very fast!
When you get to Prado del Rey its almost like coming home. Everything has a very familiar atmosphere with super nice people. I already miss my Familia de Prado.:)
I had an awesome stay at the Academia Pradoventura and I'm sure you will too!
Written 19 March 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for this review! We are really happy that you could advance so quickly in understanding and speaking the Spanish language, and that you enjoyed your time in and around Prado del Rey. We miss you too and hope to see you again soon! Un abrazo :)
Written 21 March 2016
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Curt F
2 contributions
Sep 2014 • Solo
I am a 65 year old Gringo who wants to learn to speak a second language. I learned about Pradoventura and the Village from an American ex-pat who has been there several times. We stayed three weeks, the idea was to "live" in a Spanish Village rather than being a traveling tourist, and it worked! The school is very professionally administered; the instructors teach entirely in Spanish and are very skillful (and patient). The living environment is small-town, not much to do except walk and live on the streets in the Village. Social life revolves around the drinking coffee and beer at the cafe on the corner. However... Jose and Anja double as travel guides and often have walks and drives to local attractions and other communities. All free, or real cheap. Conclusion: high praise, extremely reasonable cost, lots of value added. Va Prodo, Va.
Written 10 February 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
LaSheep
Port of Spain, Trinidad76 contributions
Jul 2014
Visited in July with a group of 15 year old students from the Caribbean. The small classes provided the individual attention that students needed. Classes were fun as the teachers involved the community in the learning process. This gave students the oral practice which they needed as well as a boost in their confidence. They commented at the end that the classes were the best part of their visit.
The owners Jose Luis and Anja are passionate about their work and they balance each other perfectly. Anja is gentle, soft spoken and very meticulous, while Jose's adventure loving and fun personality gets students very engaged in their activities/excursions.
If you are interested in finding a safe, comfortable environment to learn or practice Spanish then Prado del Rey is ideal. If you require a school that pays close attention to detail and provides a programme that caters to your individual needs, then Academia Pradoventura is the language school for you.
The owners Jose Luis and Anja are passionate about their work and they balance each other perfectly. Anja is gentle, soft spoken and very meticulous, while Jose's adventure loving and fun personality gets students very engaged in their activities/excursions.
If you are interested in finding a safe, comfortable environment to learn or practice Spanish then Prado del Rey is ideal. If you require a school that pays close attention to detail and provides a programme that caters to your individual needs, then Academia Pradoventura is the language school for you.
Written 14 August 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We are happy to know that you and your students had such a good time at our language school. Especially we are glad that the Spanish classes were rated as the best part of the stay as this is a great recognition for our teachers. It was a great pleasure to have you here and to learn so many interesting things about your country Trinidad & Tobago. Thank you for your opinion!
Written 14 November 2014
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
alanroberts9
Sligo, Ireland
Hi, do you cater for mature students, I'm in my sixties. I would be interested in attending beginners classes for about a month starting mid January and having morning classes only. Could you also give me some idea of costs? Many thanks in anticipation. Alan
Anja D
Prado del Rey, Andalucia, Spain3 contributions
Hi, yes, we do cater for mature students. We have special dates for the age of 50+ in spring and autumn. These are the arrival dates for 50+ courses in 2018.
11 March
25 March
09 April
22 April
06 May
20 May
03 June
17 June
09 September
23 September
07 October
21 October
Unfortunately mid January we do not have group classes yet, but you are welcome to come from middle of March. The classes are in the mornings, and in the afternoons you have free time or can join an excursion proposed by the school's team.
The cost of a 4 week intensive Spanish course is €490. We can cater for accommodation in an apartment shared with other students, a single apartment, a hotel room or a host family with half board or full board. You can see the prices of the courses and the accommodation on our website, which is linked from our TripAdvisor page. Feel free to ask any further questions. Warmly, Anja
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Frequently Asked Questions about Academia Pradoventura
- Academia Pradoventura is open:
- Mon - Fri 09:00 - 16:00
- Hotels near Academia Pradoventura:
- (0.04 mi) Caico's
- (0.09 mi) Apartahotel 4 Vientos
- (0.09 mi) Apartamentos Iptuci Rural
- (0.11 mi) Casas de Almajar
- (0.19 mi) Hotel Puerta del Parque
- Restaurants near Academia Pradoventura:
- (0.00 mi) La Esquina Del Carmen
- (0.02 mi) Pizzeria Gallo D Oro
- (0.03 mi) Gallo Tapas
- (0.03 mi) Arambalo
- (0.04 mi) Caico's