La Mexicana Spanish School in Sayulita

I have taken group classes and 1:1 lessons with Gina and Juan at La Mexicana for more than 6 months, and they are fantastic. I have progressed so much in my speaking, listening, reading and writing. A small example: when I moved to Mexico I would ask someone how much something cost in a shop and then, even though I knew my numbers on paper, struggle to understand their response. Now, I always understand those responses. I am able to chat with locals with more ease, and I don't feel left out in group conversations. Of course I still make many mistakes and have lots to learn but it feels very different to understand 80-90% of what is going on around you rather than 10%. Recently I was able to have a long conversation about the upcoming presidential election in Mexico with a new friend and I never could have done that 6 months ago.

Juan and Gina have created their own workbooks and even though I have owned many Spanish textbooks over the years, their insightful ways of honing in on issues that cause the most difficulty for English-speaking Spanish learners has been super helpful for me. Many textbooks out there only teach the Spanish of Spain, and here I am learning the many nuances of Spanish in Mexico, from professionals with a ton of knowledge.

I also really appreciate that they weave discussions about local slang, culture, and historical context into their lessons. We do all kinds of fun activities like translating song lyrics, reading Mexican authors, writing about our lives, and watching videos of comedians. I would highly recommend the mix of group classes and 1:1 lessons because it is great to have a chance to talk about topics and questions that interest me in my 1:1, but also great to have the camaraderie of learning with others in the group. There is no shame no matter where you are with Spanish, and there is always a smile even if you make the same mistake 10 times in a row.

I have made many new friends in my classes and learned so much. The experience here has enriched my life immensely. I am already sad thinking about the day 3 months from now when I will have to say goodbye. It has always been a dream of mine to be bilingual and I feel like I am really on my way. Thank you, thank you!

I have been taking 1:1 classes with Juan 3 days a week for just over a month now. I can't say enough positive things about this experience... Juan and Gina are both so kind and are wonderful teachers. I think the class structure is the perfect mix of focusing on grammar and building a strong foundation, as well as practicing conversational Spanish to build confidence with speaking. I've seen a lot of improvement over the past month- and I will miss having these in person classes- they were truly a highlight of my Sayu experience! La Mexicana is the perfect place to improve your Spanish skills in a relaxed, stress free environment with incredible teachers :).

I took classes for a week while I was in Sayulita. I was able to take classes from both Juan and Gina. They are both really smart, fun, and nice! Taking their classes was one of the best parts of my trip! Who knew school work would be as much fun as the beach?? Both are such amazing teachers and able to teach proper grammar and vocabulary, they are also really adept at teaching everyday Spanish usage from a Mexican perspective and dialect, which is exactly what I was looking for. I liked the experience so much that I am continuing classes online after I have returned home. I could not have been happier with my experience with them!

I stayed in Sayulita for several months this summer and looked to Spanglish for a little refresher since my high school classes. I arrived really struggling to remember my conjugations and was just a little too embarrassed to try speaking in Spanish. In short time, with Juan's comfortable and approachable teaching style, I was able to transition to Spanish full time in my encounters around town. Am I fluent? No. Not yet. Am I conversational and able to survive strictly in Spanish? Yes, absolutely. Juan knocked off all the cobwebs from decades old Spanish lessons, and provided the help I needed to get around Mexico.

HIGHLY recommend. If you're here for a short stay or an extended stay, you'll leave your lessons with more confidence and more tools in your tool belt to start speaking/understanding.

Gracias, Juan!

We were spanish beginners and had two weeks spanish school with Gina and Juan. We had private lessons one to one, that was very instructive. They are patiently and structured. Gina and Juan showed us the mexican culture and gave us some advices about sayulita and environment. We really recommend the school. Muchas gracias Gina y Juan.

I had a fantastic experience practicing Spanish with Juan and Gina. They both are excellent teachers and really cool people. The classes were always fun, informative, and tailored to aspects of the language I needed to work on. I learned so much about the Spanish language and Mexican culture during my few weeks in Sayulita. Taking classes with them will definitely help you enjoy Sayulita even more!

Juan is an incredible teacher who has a lot of love for language and cultural studies. Working with him one on one has been a great experience and I would recommend him to anyone looking to advance their knowledge of the Spanish language and Mexican culture.
What I took away the most from classes with Juan was a greater sense of confidence when speaking Spanish, and a deeper understanding of the many nuances within this language.
Working with him gave me a really solid foundation to continue to build my knowledge of the language!

Gina and Juan are well educated, serious and ambitious teachers - with a great personal style. After living more than 2 years in Mexico, where I have been working in an international setting in both English and Spanish, Gina and Juan gave my Spanish a big boost with an intensive course over 5 days. A fantastic experience. Gracias amigos. Abrazos y éxito.

The best of the spanish schools I’ve been to in Mexico. Juan & Gina are such great people, not only did I learn a ton and really gain comfort in speaking Spanish, but the conversation was great as well. Thank you so much guys!!

My wife and I recently visited Sayulita to practice Spanish for our law practice. I had studied with Juan 6 months prior. We started classes in a palapa overlooking Sayulita and the ocean. The view from the palapa is worth the price of admission. Due to my learning style and attention span, I asked if we could just walk around. Juan agreed. So we walked and chatted for the 2 hours a day. It was amazing. I learned quite a bit of Spanish. More importantly for me at the time was it helped me get over my reluctance to speak Spanish to others. However, the thing I liked the most was learning about Sayulita, Nayarit and Mexico all of which Juan was very knowledgeable. We chatted the entire time. I would start in Spanish, move to Spanglish then when all else failed, I would use English. Juan was amazingly patient letting me make my mistakes while politely and gently correcting them as I stumbled along. It was perfect for me.

It was so perfect, my wife and I signed up for 2 weeks with Juan and Gina, his wife and partner in Spanglish. My wife’s learning style was more suited to books and workbooks in the palapa. Juan and I walked and chatted, with his tablet always available for illustration and grammar. We both learned a lot. I have finally achieved a sufficient level of Spanish and the confidence to speak it that I am using Spanish around the office and around town. My wife has done the same. We have much to learn but I feel like Juan and Gina put us on the right path and we have stuck with it.

We definitely plan on going back for additional classes with Juan and Gina whenever we can get away from the office. We not only want to go back for the Spanish lessons but to see Juan and Gina, who are both lovely, gentle, intelligent and very interesting teachers. We missed them as soon as we left Sayulita.