Celas Maya Homestay

Homestay in Xela: Live with a Guatemalan Family

Live with a Guatemalan family while you learn Spanish and experience our culture. Our host families in Quetzaltenango welcome students, volunteers and their family or friends.

✓ Vetted host families  ·  ✓ Three meals a day  ·  ✓ Your own furnished room

Host family in Xela
Quetzaltenango, Guatemala
3 meals a day
Seven nights · weekly cleaning

 

Vetted host families
Safety for families and students

 

Three meals a day
Breakfast, lunch and dinner

 

Seven nights a week
Standard Sunday to Saturday stay

 

Your own room and keys
Room and front door

Welcome to Xela

Your Home Away from Home in Quetzaltenango

Xela, as locals call Quetzaltenango, is a city of cafés, cultural centers and Spanish schools where everyday Guatemalan life is easy to join.

A homestay turns your Spanish classes into daily conversation. Our host families are vetted by Celas Maya, so you and your family can feel safe and at home.

 

Experience Local Culture
Discover Guatemalan food, customs and traditions from the inside, as part of a family’s daily life.

 

Practice Spanish Every Day
Use your Spanish in real situations at the table and around the house, beyond the classroom.

 

Meet Guatemalans
Share time with a local family and, with them, get to know Xela and its people.

What’s included

What Your Homestay Includes

Clear terms for every stay with your host family.

7

Nights a week

Each standard stay includes seven nights with your host family.

3

Meals a day

Breakfast, lunch and dinner on each of the seven days.

1

Week standard stay

Check in on Sunday and check out on Saturday evening. Other start days are possible.

1×

Room cleaning a week

Your room is cleaned weekly, with a change of bedding while you are staying.

Know before you go

Your Room and What to Expect

Clean, comfortable and simple: real family life, not a hotel.

A basic equipped room

  • A room in good condition, painted every year
  • A single or double bed with clean sheets
  • Towels, a table and chair, carpet and a lamp
  • A wardrobe for your personal items
  • Keys to your room and the front door
  • Room cleaning once a week, with a change of bedding

What you won’t find

  • A luxury house: most families live in simple, older homes in the city center
  • A specially balanced diet or costly foods such as skim milk, yogurt or specialty teas
  • A private bathroom in every home: sharing with the family is common, and hot showers are available

Accommodation classification

Different Homes for Different Needs

We classify our host families by what they offer, how their houses are, and where they are.

Bathroom and Internet

Some homes have a private bathroom and others do not. Some have internet and others do not. Tell us what you need and we will take it into account.

Ask about homes →

Food and Interaction

Some families offer very good food with less interaction. Others live more modestly but spend a lot of time with their students.

Ask about homes →

Small Households

Some families are small but very interactive. Others are a single person, a mother for example, who offers excellent service.

Ask about homes →

Local culture

Guatemalan Food and Daily Life

Meals center on corn tortillas and tamales with refried beans, and your family may also cook traditional dishes. Families usually have two to four children, and grandparents often live at home.

Food is not wasted. Corn and beans carry cultural meaning in Guatemala. If you will not eat something, tell your family so it can be saved.

Guatemala is home to Mayan, Xinka, Garifuna and Ladino communities. Weddings, birthdays and anniversaries are celebrated with great pomp, and women often wear traditional dress on weekends for these occasions.

Main dishesPepián, jocom and kichom
Traditional bitesPaches and rice tamales
SnacksTostadas, rellenitos, chuchitos and cambrayes
Every dayCorn tortillas and tamales with refried beans
Fruit and vegetablesLess central to daily meals; they depend on the family

Customs at the table

Small Phrases That Make You Feel at Home

Buenos días · Buenas tardes · Buenas noches

Greet your family when you arrive.

Gracias · Buen provecho

Say gracias when you get up from the table. The family answers buen provecho.

Con permiso

Say it when you leave the group, as an “excuse me”.

Ya regreso

Also “ya vengo” or “ahí vengo”: tell them when you step out.

Check-in and check-out

Entering and Leaving Your Host Family’s Home

Standard stays run for one week. Here is how arrival and departure work.

Topic Details
Standard stay One week: seven nights and three meals a day
Check-in Sunday. A week can start on any day if a new student needs to check in
Check-out Saturday evening
Leaving before 10 a.m. No extra charge. The family may offer a courtesy breakfast at its discretion
Leaving after lunch You pay for a full day, because two meals were consumed

Helpful information

Frequently Asked Questions

Everything you need to know before you stay with a host family.

Still have questions?

Write to us and a member of the team will help you.

Email us

How long is a homestay?

The standard stay is one week, from Sunday to Saturday evening, with seven nights and three meals a day. A week can start on any day if a new student needs to check in.

Spanish students, volunteers, and their family or friends.

Celas Maya vets its host families, and the process aims to protect both families and students. Students are treated as family members, so mutual trust is essential.

No. Homes are classified by features such as private or shared bathroom and internet access. Tell us what you need before you arrive.

Tell your family. Corn and beans matter in Guatemalan culture, so food that you will not eat should be saved rather than thrown away.

Genuine conversation and interest are the most important part of the stay. Ask about your family’s life and share your own interests, without prying into private matters. Families may invite you to gatherings or outings.

Yes. Each host family provides keys to your room and to the front door, for the safety of everyone.

Live Spanish Every Day with a Guatemalan Family

Ready to book your stay? Enroll online, write to info@celasmaya.edu.gt or call +502 4679 4661.

Enroll now