Above: A Botero statue on Plaza Santo Domingo in Cartagena, Colombia
Language Schools
There are a few language schools in Cartagena. I took classes at Babel Language School and Centro Catalina.
BABEL International Language Institute – This school is located in the same little building as Crazy Salsa in San Diego near the old town. (It is a great location in a charming neighborhood.) I found it good for private lessons. It doesn’t seem like there is a set curriculum, but I learned a lot since my teacher put together exercises geared exactly towards what I wanted to learn. This was particularly good for working on my conversational Spanish. www.babelschoolcartagena.com
Centro Catalina Spanish School – This language school is located near Plaza Santo Domingo in the charming old town. The Spanish classes are very organized with books created for each level. I found the classes worthwhile. The teachers also made an effort to get people together for lunch and activities to practice our Spanish. I think this is a good choice if you want a more traditional language class covering grammar, reading and writing, and if you would like to have a group class. www.centrocatalina.com.
Accommodations
Tres Banderas – I loved this little boutique hotel in the San Diego part of the historic town. The rooms were nice and bright, breakfast was good with fresh fruit and juices and eggs, and there were nice courtyards for sitting. The neighborhood was great near Plaza Fernandez Madrid where there are restaurants and little coffee shops. www.hotel3banderas.com/
Dance Classes
Crazy Salsa – I had a terrific private class here with a very fun and patient instructor. I highly recommend these salsa classes! www.crazysalsa.net