I wanted to begin learning Spanish and chose Tico Lingo to start my journey. I attended classes for 3 weeks and stayed with a host family. What a fantastic experience! I attended classes M-F for 4 hours and studied for approximately 1.5 hours more each day.

The classes were 99% in Spanish which really made my brain kick into action (I had not been in a school/study environment for 20+ years). I was amazed at how much I was able to understand in so little time.

There was a lot of information shared and some is still trickling through haha.

The staff is amazing, very supportive and encouraging. And I made many new friends both local and from abroad.
If you are looking for a fun and engaging way to learn Spanish and immerse yourself in Costa Rican culture, this is the place to be.

Tico Lingo was a great experience to learn and be immersed in Costa Rican culture. They have a very welcoming and friendly staff as well as incredible home stay families. I was able to practice speaking Spanish a lot with my homestay family and in the classroom. I especially enjoyed Monday when we went on the city tour. Sindy and Claudio were my host parents and they were super sweet and funny and their dog Pumpky was a joy to be around. Sindy made sure we had everything we needed and took great care of us.

I can honestly say this is one of the best trips/things I have done in my life. I am 27 and took Spanish in high school but didn’t take it seriously… 3 years ago I started on Duolingo but wasn’t really learning/practicing… I finally decided to take it serious this year and found this school on tik tok. This was genuinely a 10/10 experience and everyone else I met loved it as well! The staff is beyond friendly… Yenifer might be the nicest person I’ve ever met! Haha. The classes were great. I took both group and private classes and I would definitely recommend both. I have learned so much and I’ve practiced so much Spanish in my month being there. I wish I could’ve stayed longer! The home stay experience was also a 10/10. The meals were delicious and my family was beyond nice. Just the perfect amount of interaction and privacy. Tico Lingo has improved my Spanish tremendously and I am excited to practice more back home and return next year!

I went back for the second time to Tico Lingo and was reminded why I enjoyed the school and program so much. From the moment you arrive to when you leave, it's a great experience. I received a warm airport pickup from Wali, enjoyed both my group and private classes with knowledgeable teachers (Freddy is incredible) and appreciated all the other staff around us (Dani/Yami/Chris) answering our questions and concerns - this school truly is special and goes out of their way to support you! The first time I went to Tico Lingo four years ago I knew only a few words so it was fun to come back and stay with my original host family (Vera) and actually be able to talk with them this time. I hope to come back again and plan to make Tico Lingo a permanent part of my Spanish learning journey.

This school has great facilities and amazing teachers. My wife and I spent two weeks learning Spanish at Tico Lingo and both walked away much improved. Our home stay with a local family was equally fulfilling. In addition to a very clean and welcoming home, our host made us delicious meals and spent hours talking to us each evening so we could continue our immersion experience. What puts this school over the top (besides the incredible staff) is their attention to detail and communication. From the first moment you contact them with interest, they will provide details on what to expect and how everything works. They send you profiles on your host family along with contact information. They send you details of your airport pick-up with the names of the people waiting to meet you. You never need to worry about being lost or not feeling safe. If you want an authentic Spanish learning experience that will leave you wanting more, I cannot recommend a better place than Tico Lingo.

PS - The school also offers weekend excursions every Saturday and Sunday. We only did one of these, which was white water rafting, and it was an incredible day!

I highly recommend Tico Lingo for an intensive Spanish learning program. Heredia is a lovely and friendly town. This is my second year there. Unfortunately I could only spend a week each time. The instruction is intense but very supportive and fun. Small groups are leveled for the learners ability. They use a variety of lessons and meet many different learning styles. Lessons are fun and engaging. Teachers are friendly and supportive. I have learned a lot. They also offer fun tours and extra classes such as dance and cooking.

There are no words that can adequately capture just how amazing my experience at Tico Lingo was. This was my first experience, but I promise it will not be my last.

I had been wanting to do a language immersion event for several years, but had never found the courage to actually do it, but one day, my daughter-in-law announced she was doing one. She was already extremely fluent and had even spent a semester in Spain as an undergraduate, but she had a specific interest and was going to spend a month at Ticolingo to accomplish it. When she came home, she told me it was by far the best Spanish instruction she had ever received – high praise considering all of her learning and experiences. Now, I wanted to do it more than ever before.

I carefully researched several schools before committing to Tico Lingo. Even then, I was afraid. Several things made me nervous. I'm 55 years old. I was worried the school would be filled with young adults, and I would be the awkward old guy in the room. I was worried that I didn't know enough Spanish. Could I even do this, or was I still too novice to receive much benefit from it? As an introvert, I was REALLY worried about the home stay. What was the expected level of interaction? Could I go to my room and read a book, or was that considered rude? Should I stay out in the living room and interact with people I really didn't know and struggled to communicate with?

As it turned out, I worried for nothing. Not one of my fears came true. In fact, it was the exact opposite.

• There were in fact quite a few young adult students, but there was also an equal number of more seasoned adults, but it also didn't matter. Everyone blended together seamlessly and had a wonderful time together. The younger adults were absolutely wonderful and extremely welcoming.

• Before I arrived, Yennifer called and gave me a "Spanish test" in order to place me in the correct group class. She nailed it. Everyone in my group was in the exact same place, and yes, I could benefit even at my level and learned far more than I possibly could have imagined. A big part of that was my instructor, Yobeth. I often feel embarrassed trying to speak Spanish because I know I am slow and make a lot of mistakes, but Yobeth was brilliant at making you feel comfortable. I felt as though I had permission to have fun and to try. I wasn't expected to get it right. That's why I was in school, and her corrections were fun and gentle. She taught all of us so much and in an incredible manner.

• I also did 2 hours per day of one on one instruction with Freddy. Freddy is incredibly passionate about the language and about his students. In a private setting, that passion was laser focused on me, on my goals, and on my learning. He was fully prepared for every lesson, but adjusted on the fly based on what I needed. He not only taught me Spanish but also how to learn Spanish. He gave me an incredible amount of information and exercises to take home with me to allow me to continue my journey long after I left Costa Rica.

• This combination of instructors was phenomenal and taught me so much. Both of my instructors not only demonstrated an incredible passion for teaching the language, but also demonstrated a genuine passion for me as a person and a student. They truly, truly cared.

• One of the best parts of my experience was getting to know my Tico family. They were so warm and inviting, and they completely let me decide how to spend my time.

If I needed private time, that was totally fine. I was also completely welcome and comfortable hanging out and doing things with them. I even had my own key and could come and go as I pleased. They are amazing people, and we have continued to stay in touch since I've been home.

• Another fear was walking around alone in a strange city where I barely spoke the language. The people of Heredia immediately put me to ease. They smiled and spoke to me and were very patient with my attempts to communicate. I even met one neighbor who took me in and introduced me to her whole family.

In every way possible, my time at Ticolingo was an incredible experience and far exceeded all of my hopes. It was over way too quickly. As I mentioned, this was my first trip, but there will be many, many more.

I had an excellent experience at Tico Lingo! It was my home away from home for six weeks. I just arrived back home today and had my first conversation with my family in Venezuela. Before Tico Lingo, I understood some vocabulary but didn’t speak any Spanish. I am so happy to be able to speak now (although it is slow), it means so much to me to be able to communicate with my family.

I have high praise for the patience and skill of all the teachers in the school. I progressed much faster than I believe I would have on any other learning platform.

My host family and the director of the school were also amazing. I got sick while I was there and was very well taken care of. Even though I was “alone” in a foreign country, I never felt alone and always had more than enough support.

For anyone looking for a crash course in Spanish, a beautiful country, and a very safe experience, I recommend Tico Lingo.