Puerto de Santa María

Program Outline

In Puerto de Santa María we offer general, intensive and super intensive language courses at all levels.

General Spanish Course is a program with 20 classes per week. Classes begin at 9:30am and continue until a break at 11:00am. The second session begins at 11.20am and class finishes at 12.50pm. During the lessons you will learn the five different aspects of Spanish: listening, reading, writing, grammar and most importantly…speaking.

Intensive Spanish Course is a program with 25 classes per week. Classes begin at 9:30am and continue until a break at 11:00am. The second session begins at 11.20am and class finishes at 12.50pm. The basic outline of this program follows the description above for the General Spanish Course, but with an additional class from 13.00pm till 13.45pm used to focus on the points of the language most needed by the individual student.

Super Intensive Spanish Course I is a program with 25 classes per week + private one to one classes. Classes begin at 9:30am and continue until a break at 11:00am. The second session begins at 11.20am and class finishes at 12.50pm. The basic outline of this program follows the description above for the General Spanish Course, but with an additional class from 13.00pm till 13.45pm used to focus on the points of the language most needed by the individual student. The private one to one classes are in the evenings.

Super Intensive Spanish Course II is program with 30 classes per week. Courses start at 8:45am and finish at 13.45pm with a pause at 11.00am and at 12.50pm. The basic outline of this program follows the description above for the General Spanish Course, but with the additional first and the last classes used to focus on the points of the language most needed by the individual student.

• Courses for Specific purposes; Spanish for tourism, commercial and business Spanish as well as a course for Spanish teachers.
• Preparation for official exams: for D.E.L.E., diploma of Spanish as a foreign language.
• Mini groups of 4-6 people, (for companies or a small group of friends)
• Private and semi-private courses, for one, two or three persons.
• Spanish + Golf
• Culture and Spanish one week courses for schools.
• Bilingual Summer Camp, juniors 9-16, July and August.

Extras with every course

Students receive free of charge a cooking class in the kitchen of the school, a culture class and a cinema evening each week, and before the Spring Fair we also give the students free Sevillana dancing classes so they can participate fully in the festivities.

Location

The school is located in the commercial heart of the city, 2 minutes from the famous bullring. El Puerto de Santa María is a picturesque and lively Spanish city situated on the Costa de la Luz, 20 minutes across the bay from Cádiz. It is located around the mouth of the river Guadalete. There are 22 km. of Atlantic coastline around the city, with 15 Km of beaches of fine golden sand. This coastline is known as Costa de la Luz because of the unusually clear and intense quality of the light, 3100 hours per year. The city is an important fishing port with a number of historic buildings including the Castle where Christopher Columbus stayed while planning his famous voyage to discover the “New World,” a palm lined alameda, a maze of narrow bustling streets, a lively central market and a busy shopping and commercial area.

Accommodation

We offer a wide range of accommodation able to suit the needs of everyone. Students can choose individual or double rooms in shared flats with other students; shared bedrooms can only be booked by students who register together, not individuals. Home stay with a Spanish host family with half or full board in either a single or double room, double rooms can only be booked by students who register together, not individuals. There are also one/two bedroom apartments, hotels, hostels and a camp site beside the beach.

Cultural

The city has a number of museums and historic buildings.

• Saint Marcos Castle, built on the site of a mosque, dates back to the 13th century.
• Cathedral
• Bullring – one of the oldest in Spain, built in 1880
• Casa de los Leones
• El Puerto Museum

There are regular concerts, art exhibitions and music festivals (particularly Flamenco music).

Fiesta Calender

• February : Las Fiestas del Carnaval
• Mar/ Apr : Semana Santa : Easter week processions
• May : The Spring Festival : celebrating the "fino" wines of the region
• June : Corpus Christi : a religious festival with procession
• Jul 16 : The “Virgen del Carmen” fishing festival
• Sep : International Sailing Week : prestigious sailing competitions in the Gulf of Cádiz
• Sep 8 : Festival of the patron saint, “Virgen de los Milagros,” during the wine harvest period

Start Dates

Classes start every Monday of the year for students with a basic knowledge of the Spanish language, for absolute beginners, you need to consult the next starting date. The last week of December and the first of January, the school is closed.

Climate

El Puerto de Santa María enjoys a very pleasant microclimate. The average Summer temperature is around 77-83 degrees with almost constant sunshine from May till October. Spring and Autumn are mild and warm, and even in Winter the daytime temperature rarely falls below 60°F.

Local Color

EL Puerto de Santa María is famous in Spain for its beaches, its food, its history and culture. This area is also famous for its Flamenco and Sevillana dancing which is taken from the rhythms of gypsy music. The school is a 10 minutes walk from the old historical centre of the city, a place full of tapas bars, dance clubs and Spanish people from every corner of Spain, especially during the summer months. Our famous nightlife doesn’t get started until close to midnight in the old centre and usually ends after sunrise, which is best seen from the bars on the Palm tree lined beaches.

Points of Interest

In addition to the main pastime of frequenting restaurants and bars, the town has a Casino, a bowling alley, cinemas, nightclubs and Flamenco bars. It also boasts two golf courses, a marina and its new theatre will be finished in Autumn 2005.

Hot Tip

Enjoy the beaches during nearly 6 months of the year and then enjoy the mountain white villages during the other 6 months. Don't miss, the Carnival in February the Easter Processions unique in the world, the Spring Fair, the Grand Prix Motorbike race at the beginning of May.