Marbella Sabbatical

About our sabbatical

In addition to language classes and excursions, enjoy lectures by our Stanford faculty leader as well as talks by local experts. Occasional group excursions and meals are planned, offering many opportunities to socialize and get to know your fellow travelers over a meal or a trip to a nearby town. These group classes and outings are balanced with time at leisure to relax, explore independently, learn, and simply enjoy the ambience of the Costa del Sol.

The program is intentionally not fully scheduled and travelers should feel comfortable with a certain level of independence and be eager to explore on their own. Limited meals are included. As part of the experience, we expect travelers will enjoy shopping for and cooking their own meals in their apartment’s kitchenette as well as dining out independently at local restaurants and cafés. 

A typical day

Begin by preparing breakfast in your apartment’s kitchenette, using ingredients you purchased from the local market. Leave your apartment a little before 9 a.m. for the 10- to 15-minute walk to your Spanish language class. After a morning learning (or relearning!) vocabulary and conjugation and practicing conversations, meet classmates for lunch. Depending on the day, enjoy an afternoon at leisure for relaxation or independent exploration, go on a program excursion, or participate in an activity that’s included in one of the tracks for which you’ve signed up. Later in the afternoon, join your fellow participants for a lecture by your faculty leader, then keep the discussion going over a glass of vino or supper at a nearby café.

Language classes

Participants will be given an assessment by the school at the start of the language instruction. Generally, classes are offered at a beginner, intermediate, and advanced level, but this can vary depending on how many students are in each level (there is a minimum requirement of 3 students). Each class will have a ratio of no more than 12 students per instructor.

Optional learning tracks and excursions

Travelers interested in cooking and/or hiking may opt for the culinary and active tracks, offered at an additional cost. None of the classes or excursions from the various tracks overlap, so it is possible to participate in both tracks, in which case there will be less leisure time, and the stay may feel busier. Additionally, there will be an optional day trip to Tangiers and an optional 2-night trip to Seville, Cordoba, and Carmona. Additional information will be shared with registered participants.

Our accommodations

The Monarque Sultan Aparthotel is a comfortable long-term stay property located in a quiet neighborhood two blocks from the beach and one block from a major street that has many businesses and shops. One-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments have been reserved for our group; one-bedroom apartments are approximately 645 square feet, and two-bedroom apartments are approximately 860 square feet. The well-equipped apartments feature a small kitchen area with a dishwasher, basic utensils and cleaning supplies, a microwave, a small cooktop, and a washing machine. Each apartment has an outdoor terrace with lounge chairs and comes with satellite TV and broadband internet access. Daily light housekeeping is included. Additionally, the Monarque Sultan offers a breakfast room, bar/café, restaurant, large pool, small gym with cardio machines, and spa.

Activity level

We consider this to be a mildly active program. Travelers interested in the optional hiking track must enjoy walking and hiking on a regular basis at home. Additional details including distances of hikes, elevation gains/losses, etc. will be provided to travelers in their confirmation materials.

Language classes take place a 10-minute walk from our accommodations on the second floor of a building that does not have an elevator. Group excursions may involve 1 to 3 miles of walking during city tours and can require walking uphill and downhill and on cobblestones, gravel walkways, and other uneven surfaces. There will be extended periods of standing in museums, in churches, and at other sites. Participants must be able to get on and off coaches without difficulty. There is an efficient bus system in Marbella that runs along the main street from the hotel’s neighborhood to Old Town.

Weather in Marbella in September can be warm to hot, with average daytime highs in the low to mid-80s, though based on recent history there is potential for a heatwave to cause higher than average temperatures. Our accommodations are air-conditioned, however, not all museums and sites on this itinerary are. Some classrooms at the language school have air-conditioning while others use fans. Participants must be physically fit, active, and in good health.