Reviews of Don Quijote, Salamanca, Spain
Total number of reviews: 32
NOTE: All reviews are authentic. Only students who booked their course through us can publish evaluations here, and only after the end of their programme. These evaluations then are not manipulated in any way, neither by us nor by the school, and can be trusted as honest opinions about personal experiences with the school.
Average Rating
Based on 32 reviews of former students of Don Quijote
| Overall rating Don Quijote, Salamanca, Spain | 4.5 |
|---|---|
| City | 4.8 |
| Organisation | 4.5 |
| Facilities | 4.0 |
| Social activities | 3.7 |
| Quality of teaching | 4.5 |
| Value for money | 4.2 |
| Accommodation | |
| Homestay | 4.1 |
| Shared Flat (apartment) | 2.7 |
| Other | --- |
Individual Reviews
Don Quijote
23. Oct. 2023
1. Caroline (73 years) United Kingdom
101.Course: Spanish for 50+ - 2 weeks
101.Course: Spanish for 50+ - 2 weeks
Overall rating
Value for money
Detailed review
City/place
School organization
Facilities (library, classrooms)
Social activities
Quality of teaching / language progress
Additional information
Positive aspects of school
My teachers (Ana Isabel and Ana Cris) were fantastic - very friendly and professional, and I learned a lot. The location of the school is excellent - in the university district a short walk from the cathedral and Plaza Mayor. The onsite cafeteria serves the best coffee in Salamanca!
Negative aspects
I signed up for a 50+ course but because I was the only mature student at my level (B2) I was put in a class with the younger students doing the "Intensive 20" course, which cost some 350 euros less than the 50+ course. Most of them had already been there for several weeks so we started part way through a unit in the middle of the text book - it was definitely not tailored to the over 50 group. There were no weekend excursions and the "cultural activities" - guided walks and wine and ham tastings - were available to the other students either free or for a small fee. If I had known this, I could have saved a lot of money.
Quality of teaching / language progress
I signed up for this course but was put on the general course as i was the only mature student at level B2.
30. Sep. 2023
2. Rolf (66 years) 
102.Course: Intensive 20 - 2 weeks
102.Course: Intensive 20 - 2 weeks
Overall rating
Value for money
Detailed review
City/place
School organization
Facilities (library, classrooms)
Social activities
Quality of teaching / language progress
Additional information
Positive aspects of school
Teachers Basi and Gloria.
Negative aspects
The electronic installations are too old-fashioned and not very visible.
27. Sep. 2023
3. Vreny (66 years)
103.Course: Intensive 20 - 2 weeks
103.Course: Intensive 20 - 2 weeks
Overall rating
Value for money
Detailed review
City/place
School organization
Facilities (library, classrooms)
Social activities
Quality of teaching / language progress
Additional information
Positive aspects of school
Professors Ana I. and Ana Ch.
Negative aspects
Some classrooms are too small, the electronic facilities are too old-fashioned and sometimes do not work. Activities: few... and in two weeks two were repeated.
City/place
It's a beautiful and interesting city that I love!
7. Aug. 2023
4. Nele Germany
104.Course: Intensive 25 [Spanisch] - 2 weeks
104.Course: Intensive 25 [Spanisch] - 2 weeks
Overall rating
Value for money
Detailed review
City/place
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School organization
Facilities (library, classrooms)
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Quality of teaching / language progress
Accommodation
Shared apartment
29. May. 2023
5. Victor Netherlands
105.Course: Intensive 20 - 12 weeks
105.Course: Intensive 20 - 12 weeks
Overall rating
Value for money
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Detailed review
City/place
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School organization
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23. May. 2023
6. Sonia (64 years) Israel
106.Course: Intensive 25 - 2 weeks
106.Course: Intensive 25 - 2 weeks
Overall rating
Value for money
Detailed review
City/place
School organization
Facilities (library, classrooms)
Social activities
---
Quality of teaching / language progress
Additional information
Positive aspects of school
All the teachers were enthusiastic and very helpful. I feel that I made a good progress in relatively short time.
Negative aspects
Everything was ok.
25. Oct. 2022
7. Anke (58 years) 
107.Course: 1. Week BU Hessen Super Intensive + 2. Week Standard - 2 weeks
107.Course: 1. Week BU Hessen Super Intensive + 2. Week Standard - 2 weeks
Overall rating
Value for money
Detailed review
City/place
School organization
Facilities (library, classrooms)
Social activities
Quality of teaching / language progress
Accommodation
Homestay
Additional information
Positive aspects of school
- very nice teachers
- nice secretary
- change of class due to actual level of knowledge
- interesting afternoon activities that provided a lot of knowledge/information
- the adjacent café
- nice secretary
- change of class due to actual level of knowledge
- interesting afternoon activities that provided a lot of knowledge/information
- the adjacent café
Negative aspects
- Classrooms too small and cramped
- Sometimes more than 8 students per class
- Dance class was rescheduled at short notice by the school and we were only informed 2 hours beforehand.
- No break from 11:10-15 hrs, break only by changing rooms.
- Sometimes more than 8 students per class
- Dance class was rescheduled at short notice by the school and we were only informed 2 hours beforehand.
- No break from 11:10-15 hrs, break only by changing rooms.
City/place
I had only seen pictures of the city, so I didn't actually get to know much of it until I got there. It is an interesting city with a lot of history and proud people.
Quality of teaching / language progress
Week 1: Due to my knowledge of Portuguese, the first week as a complete beginner in Spanish was very easy. Challenging, however, were the conversation lessons, which were the most interesting part of the week for me.
Week 2: I was upgraded after the first week and jumped from lesson 2 to 7 in level A1. This was then also the week that was more interesting for me and then also challenged me.
Week 2: I was upgraded after the first week and jumped from lesson 2 to 7 in level A1. This was then also the week that was more interesting for me and then also challenged me.
Accommodation
The hostess was a lovely person who clearly cares about her guests. You have to like her. However, for a student who comes without any knowledge of Spanish, she can be overwhelming as she speaks quickly and a lot and it is difficult to get a word in. As there were 2 of us, we shared a small bathroom between the 3 of us. However, we were able to arrange ourselves well and had no problems as a result. Unfortunately, the beds were a disaster. We usually only spent the night in the flat and also ate outside most of the time, which was also somewhat due to the distance. One should also not assume breakfast and food as we know it from our own habits. The portions were very small, we would certainly have got more if we had asked.
9. May. 2022
8. Vikki (57 years) Australia
108.Course: Intensive 20 - 2 weeks
108.Course: Intensive 20 - 2 weeks
Overall rating
Value for money
Detailed review
City/place
School organization
Facilities (library, classrooms)
Social activities
Quality of teaching / language progress
Accommodation
Student residence
Additional information
Positive aspects of school
Friendly teachers
Negative aspects
The lessons were explained in Spanish. This makes learning Spanish extremely difficult.
Insider tips about what future students should not miss
Learn Spanish before you attend Spanish classes.
City/place
Salamanca has a very interesting old university and public library to wonder through with amazement, as do most cities in Europe. Salamanca is not near a beach.
Quality of teaching / language progress
The teachers are lovely but follow the text book regardless of whether you are keeping up or not.
Accommodation
My room was ok but not worth the price. I had to pay for 1 meal a day even though I didn’t have a single meal there which was explained to them from the beginning.
26. Oct. 2021
9. Claire (65 years) 
109.Course: Spanish for 50+ - 2 weeks
109.Course: Spanish for 50+ - 2 weeks
Overall rating
Value for money
Detailed review
City/place
School organization
Facilities (library, classrooms)
Social activities
Quality of teaching / language progress
Additional information
Positive aspects of school
Good teachers.
Teaching gave access to the language, but also to the Spanish culture.
Limited class size facilitates good teaching and better communication between teacher and students.
Very interesting cultural activities. Ex: Presentation on the history of Spain followed by the screening of a film (Volver). 3 rewarding hours.
The school is not very big.
The bar or restaurant is in the school. Good atmosphere.
Insider tips about what future students should not miss
Plaza Mayor ... But in Salamanca everyone knows that !!!
City/place
Extraordinary from an architectural and cultural point of view.
Quality of teaching / language progress
There were a few younger people (30-35 years old). A test is required to direct us to a course where the students are of the same level, so there were no problems with that.
9. Sep. 2021
10. Sylwia (26 years) 
110.Course: Intensive 20 - 3 weeks
110.Course: Intensive 20 - 3 weeks
Overall rating
Value for money
Detailed review
City/place
School organization
Facilities (library, classrooms)
Social activities
Quality of teaching / language progress
Accommodation
Homestay
3. Jan. 2021
11. Sara (39 years) United Kingdom
111.Course: Intensive 20 - 1 week
111.Course: Intensive 20 - 1 week
Overall rating
Value for money
Detailed review
City/place
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Facilities (library, classrooms)
Social activities
---
Quality of teaching / language progress
Additional information
Positive aspects of school
The teacher was really focused on my personal needs and accommodating to the level of knowledge I had. Ana Garcia was patient and encouraging and that helped me progress beyond my expectations in such a short period.
18. Dec. 2019
12. Asuka (22 years) 
112.Course: Intensive 25 - 8 weeks
112.Course: Intensive 25 - 8 weeks
Overall rating
Value for money
Detailed review
City/place
School organization
Facilities (library, classrooms)
Social activities
Quality of teaching / language progress
10. Dec. 2019
13. Menglan (21 years) Australia
113.Course: Intensive 25 - 3 weeks
113.Course: Intensive 25 - 3 weeks
Overall rating
Value for money
Detailed review
City/place
School organization
Facilities (library, classrooms)
Social activities
Quality of teaching / language progress
Accommodation
Homestay
City/place
This is a university town, the people are extremely friendly, and the prices are not expensive.
Quality of teaching / language progress
The teachers at the school are very good, and the content is also very useful in life. Overall very good!
Accommodation
The home is really good and I had a very happy time. The location is also great, about 15 minutes walk from the school.
2. Dec. 2019
14. Edgar (62 years)
114.Course: Intensive 25 - 2 weeks
114.Course: Intensive 25 - 2 weeks
Overall rating
Value for money
Detailed review
City/place
School organization
Facilities (library, classrooms)
Social activities
Quality of teaching / language progress
Accommodation
Homestay
Additional information
Positive aspects of school
Teachers are friendly, committed and have the necessary motivation.
Quality of teaching / language progress
Suggestion for improvement: A corresponding Spanish/German booklet would have been very important for me to learn vocabulary. Especially as a real beginner, that makes learning easier and much more effective. For each chapter of the textbook, the vocabulary including the conjugations should have been prepared in this way. When I (62 years) learned English at school, it was a matter of course !!!!
12. Nov. 2019
15. Anna (46 years)
115.Course: Super Intensive 30 [Hiszpański] - 2 weeks
115.Course: Super Intensive 30 [Hiszpański] - 2 weeks
Overall rating
Value for money
Detailed review
City/place
School organization
Facilities (library, classrooms)
Social activities
Quality of teaching / language progress
Accommodation
Homestay
Accommodation
Very poor meals (for example lack of fruit and vegetables), very small portions which were not sufficient for an adult.
6. Nov. 2019
16. Mirja (77 years) Finland
116.Course: Spanish for 50+ [Espanja] - 2 weeks
116.Course: Spanish for 50+ [Espanja] - 2 weeks
Overall rating
Value for money
Detailed review
City/place
School organization
Facilities (library, classrooms)
Social activities
Quality of teaching / language progress
Accommodation
Student residence
Additional information
Positive aspects of school
Qualified teachers.
Insider tips about what future students should not miss
Good school. Well organized. An interesting city for seniors as well.
Other comments
Very good. Highly recommended.
City/place
I don't like nightlife or shopping. I enjoyed museums, churches and historical sites in the city.
Quality of teaching / language progress
I have learned a lot. I really like the course and the city of Salamanca.
14. Oct. 2019
17. Gunilla (73 years) 
117.Course: Intensive 25 - 2 weeks
117.Course: Intensive 25 - 2 weeks
Overall rating
Value for money
Detailed review
City/place
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Facilities (library, classrooms)
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Quality of teaching / language progress
Accommodation
Student residence
Accommodation
Dull and cold facilities, poor breakfast, smelly rooms, the sheets were only changed once in 2 weeks, the towels only after 10 days when I finally had enough and put them on the floor. The bed was not made. Nice access to fridge and microwave, spacious rooms (although mine had a window facing a staircase). A lot of noise from the school in the same building.
25. Sep. 2019
18. Ryu (19 years) Japan
118.Course: DELE Preparation Course 30 [Spanish] - 2 weeks
118.Course: DELE Preparation Course 30 [Spanish] - 2 weeks
Overall rating
Value for money
Detailed review
City/place
School organization
Facilities (library, classrooms)
Social activities
Quality of teaching / language progress
Accommodation
Homestay
1. Jul. 2019
19. Jennie (69 years) New Zealand
119.Course: Spanish for 50+ - 4 weeks
119.Course: Spanish for 50+ - 4 weeks
Overall rating
Value for money
Detailed review
City/place
School organization
Facilities (library, classrooms)
Social activities
Quality of teaching / language progress
Accommodation
Homestay
17. Jun. 2019
20. Marcus Alexander (22 years) Germany
120.Course: Intensive 20 [Spanisch] - 2 weeks
120.Course: Intensive 20 [Spanisch] - 2 weeks
Overall rating
Value for money
Detailed review
City/place
School organization
Facilities (library, classrooms)
Social activities
Quality of teaching / language progress
11. Jun. 2019
21. Ernest (67 years) Canada
121.Course: Intensive 20 - 1 week
121.Course: Intensive 20 - 1 week
Overall rating
Value for money
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Detailed review
City/place
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Facilities (library, classrooms)
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Quality of teaching / language progress
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Accommodation
Homestay
30. May. 2019
22. Dag (65 years) Norway
122.Course: Spanish for 50+ - 2 weeks
122.Course: Spanish for 50+ - 2 weeks
Overall rating
Value for money
Detailed review
City/place
School organization
Facilities (library, classrooms)
Social activities
Quality of teaching / language progress
---
Accommodation
Homestay
Additional information
Positive aspects of school
Very well organised
Insider tips about what future students should not miss
Links about the city and basic Spanish webpages to use to learn alone and as pages to look up words, sentences ask.
City/place
Very good
Quality of teaching / language progress
The teachers were very good. However all teachers must be good in English to be able to explain cases. Some teachers could use the board more to show the correct solutions/answers.
27. May. 2019
23. Rudolf (73 years) Switzerland
123.Course: Spanish for 50+ - 2 weeks
123.Course: Spanish for 50+ - 2 weeks
Overall rating
Value for money
Detailed review
City/place
School organization
Facilities (library, classrooms)
Social activities
Quality of teaching / language progress
Accommodation
Homestay
Quality of teaching / language progress
We had two excellent teachers, Louisa and Belén. The 50+ Course was very good because all attendees were of similar age and also interests. We had many joint excursions, drinks and dinners.
Accommodation
My "mother" is renting out three rooms. My room was very small and it was not comfortable to do homework in the room. The television in the living-dining room was on most of the time. However, Isabelle was very nice and caring.
27. May. 2019
24. Johanna C.w. (59 years) Netherlands
124.Course: Spanish for 50+ [Spaans] - 2 weeks
124.Course: Spanish for 50+ [Spaans] - 2 weeks
Overall rating
Value for money
Detailed review
City/place
School organization
Facilities (library, classrooms)
Social activities
Quality of teaching / language progress
Additional information
Positive aspects of school
The international character
29. Apr. 2019
25. Jasmin (37 years) Germany
125.Course: Intensive 20 - 2 weeks
125.Course: Intensive 20 - 2 weeks
Overall rating
Value for money
Detailed review
City/place
School organization
Facilities (library, classrooms)
Social activities
Quality of teaching / language progress
Accommodation
Homestay
22. Apr. 2019
26. Andrea (71 years) Germany
126.Course: Intensive 20 - 2 weeks
126.Course: Intensive 20 - 2 weeks
Overall rating
Value for money
Detailed review
City/place
School organization
Facilities (library, classrooms)
Social activities
Quality of teaching / language progress
---
City/place
It's a wonderful city.
18. Mar. 2019
27. Deniz Sonay (42 years) United Kingdom
127.Course: Super Intensive 30 - 1 week
127.Course: Super Intensive 30 - 1 week
Overall rating
Value for money
Detailed review
City/place
School organization
Facilities (library, classrooms)
Social activities
Quality of teaching / language progress
Accommodation
Homestay
Additional information
Positive aspects of school
The school is based in an old monastery. Super cute but because of that classrooms are on the small side. Teachers were really friendly, fun, knowledgeable and helpful.
Insider tips about what future students should not miss
Evening activities such as guided tours or movie nights are worth attending. Especially if your course is really short like mine.
Other comments
I really think that everyone at Don Quijote had the best intentions to make the classes fun, enjoyable as well as informative. But because DQ has such a big reputation, I would have liked classes to be more balanced because of the reasons I’ve mentioned above. The difference between conversation classes and semi-private classes should be more obvious. Semi-private classes should be utilised as classes where students can ask about certain subjects they wanna know more about.
Quality of teaching / language progress
I did a one week 30 hour intensive course. All of the teachers were really lovely and friendly. But in the morning one of my classes was taught by a temporary teacher because of the arrival of a big group of Norwegian students. I felt his lessons had very little structure with a lot of talking. Also I was supposed to be having one conversation class and one semi private class in the afternoon. But because there were 2 other students from a different level in the same class, semi private classes turned into a conversation class as well. So after the first two hours, the rest of the day was just about conversation. Because of that, I felt conversation classes and the actual lessons were not balanced that well.
Accommodation
My host family was super nice, very friendly and caring. The landlady was encouraging me to speak more and correcting me whenever I made a mistake. My only reservation was although I mentioned that I’m a non smoker when i filled the online form, the school placed me with a smoker. I wasn’t very happy about that.
19. Feb. 2019
28. Beata (54 years)
128.Course: Super Intensive 30 [Hiszpański] - 2 weeks
128.Course: Super Intensive 30 [Hiszpański] - 2 weeks
Overall rating
Value for money
Detailed review
City/place
School organization
Facilities (library, classrooms)
Social activities
Quality of teaching / language progress
Accommodation
Homestay
Additional information
Positive aspects of school
Fantastic teachers, interesting classes. The lessons lasted exactly 55 minutes without any delay. Time used to maximum
Insider tips about what future students should not miss
The longer stay the better. I was only there for two weeks, but still one day in the country is like a month of studying back home. Important! - I went alone, and there was not a single Polish person in the whole school, so I spent 2 weeks speaking only in Spanish! I was afraid of a large group, but despite the 8 people in some classes I was still on high speed learning - it was great. I decided on the most intensive version - 6 hours a day (from 9 to 15 with a total of 30 minutes breaks). The fifth and sixth lessons are conversations in two different groups, the last one being practically alone with the teacher (!) due to lack of interest. With a short course such number of hours makes sense, but with a longer one it may be exhausting, so I do not recommend it. Well, you have to set yourself up for learning, doing tasks, etc ...
It is worth taking advantage of the offer of excursions, or go alone on the weekend. I was on a trip in the Sierra de Francia and alone in Segovia and Avila. Unforgettable impressions.
Other comments
I have no comparison, because this is my first course, but it was perfect. I've heard a lot of good things about this school and I fully agree with them. Not to mention Salamanca itself - adorable! The only thing that did not suit me was the accommodation - a dark interior apartment with smokers. If I ever come back here, I'll look for something myself.
29. Oct. 2018
29. Michael (70 years) United Kingdom
129.Course: Intensive Spanish 25 [Spanish] - 1 week
129.Course: Intensive Spanish 25 [Spanish] - 1 week
Overall rating
Value for money
Detailed review
City/place
School organization
Facilities (library, classrooms)
Social activities
Quality of teaching / language progress
29. Oct. 2018
30. Anatole (29 years)
130.Course: Intensive Spanish 25 [Espagnol] - 4 weeks
130.Course: Intensive Spanish 25 [Espagnol] - 4 weeks
Overall rating
Value for money
Detailed review
City/place
School organization
Facilities (library, classrooms)
Social activities
Quality of teaching / language progress
Accommodation
Homestay
Additional information
Positive aspects of school
School, teachers, the city everything is great!
It's the perfect place to learn Spanish
Insider tips about what future students should not miss
Just go for walks in the streets in the evening
13. Aug. 2018
31. Karin (57 years)
131.Course: Intensive Spanish 25 - 2 weeks
131.Course: Intensive Spanish 25 - 2 weeks
Overall rating
Value for money
Detailed review
City/place
School organization
Facilities (library, classrooms)
Social activities
Quality of teaching / language progress
Additional information
Positive aspects of school
Class size. We were max. 7 students in class.
Multicultural, there were students from many different countries / continents.
Other comments
Simply great. Amazing experience. I go back if I can.
19. Feb. 2018
32. Spencer (30 years)
132.Course: Premium 1.0 Executive Program [Spanish] - Executive 25 - 2 weeks
132.Course: Premium 1.0 Executive Program [Spanish] - Executive 25 - 2 weeks
Overall rating
Value for money
Detailed review
City/place
School organization
Facilities (library, classrooms)
Social activities
Quality of teaching / language progress
Additional information
Positive aspects of school
Quality of instruction
Insider tips about what future students should not miss
Private lessons are a must.
Other comments
Poor communication with student before class started. I didn't receive a single email from the actual school coordinator before arriving in Salamanca.
