PlanetEye

July 19th, 2008

Ayres de Español

Brendan

The Global Nomad

One of the most rewarding things to do when travelling (and perhaps the most useful) is to take local language lessons. This goes extra for travelling in Latin America; seeing as Spanish is so incredibly useful, it’s easy to justify the time, effort and cash. Spanish is spoken in more countries than any other country in the world, including the vast majority of South and Central America.

As in much of the Latin world, there are plenty of Spanish schools in Buenos Aires, some better than others. Don’t be put off by the Argentine reputation for having their own unique version of Spanish. It’s true, they do. But if you’re a beginner, it won’t really matter; if you’re advanced, you’ll know the difference. Plus any good teacher will steer your towards the universal while alerting you to any exceptions.

After some shopping around, my girlfriend chose Ayres de Español, a small boutique school based in the heart of Palermo Viejo. Aside from the location—which means a world of cafes, restaurants and shops are at your doorstep—she particularly liked their flexibility, as she didn’t want to be stuck in a classroom (they ended up—surprise!—shopping a lot).

Ayres works with some high profile students, namely Francis Ford Coppola and several embassies, so they are somewhat more expensive than the average. However, Mel was more than satisfied and would definitely recommend them.

Ayres de Español
Gurruchaga 1851, between Nicaragua and Costa Rica

60 pesos/hour private – can be done in your place (5 pesos/hour extra)
40 pesos/hour group (up to 4)
www.ayresdespanol.com.ar | info@ayresdespanol.com.ar

TELEPHONE:
From Buenos Aires: 4834-6340
International: 011-54-11-4834-6340
Mobile: 15-4074-6378
011(international access)
54 (country code)
11(city code)
4834-6340 (local number)

Tags: Argentina, Buenos Aires, Spanish School

2 Responses to “Ayres de Español”

1. jean Says:
   July 22nd, 2008 at 2:01 am
   

   Quite agree. It would be of great help knowing a bit local language. I had a very helpless experience at southern bus staion of Bangkok. They couldn’t speak English and I no Thai language. They were willing to help, yet couldn’t communicate. I think for longer stay, it’s worthwhile to join local class and learn. But if only several days for a vacation, I’d rather hire an English-speaking tour guide to help out. Such service can be found at sites like privateguidesineurope.com, ourexplorer.com…

2. Brendan Says:
   July 22nd, 2008 at 6:21 am
   

   I rarely approve comments from people promoting their own businesses but I have to admit I quite like the ideaof this site.
   As a former and sometimes tour guide myself, I know there are always things
   you can do yourself, and times when a local contact can really enrich your experience.

   We are all foreigners somewhere!
   Brendan
   PlanetEye Global Nomad

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