Program Reviews

I take Spanish lessons with Mary twice a week over Google Meet while I am based in the United States and she is in Costa Rica, and it has been an excellent experience. Since I started working with her, I have improved significantly and built a strong foundation in Spanish.

I genuinely enjoy our classes. They are engaging, organized, and encouraging. Mary is an excellent teacher with extensive experience helping students who begin with little or no prior knowledge, and she explains concepts in a clear and approachable way.

I highly recommend Mary to anyone considering learning or improving their Spanish. She is patient, knowledgeable, and truly committed to her students’ progress.

During my 2 weeks at Tico Lingo I learned more useful Spanish then my 10 years in grade school. It was challenging every step of the way but teachers and staff were always there to further explain and help you practice. Everyone was super friendly and supportive and all the activities were fun and very well organized! Would love to come again to further my skills and build off of the very useful knowledge I was given. Our homestay family was lovely and had great accommodations as well! Had a a lot of access to the city surrounding the with great suggestions from staff. During tours on weekends we were taken care of every step of the way. Very safe and very organized.

What an incredible experience! Tico Lingo’s immersion program exceeded all my expectations. My learning progressed a lot and I wish I was booked for a longer stay. They made it easy and fun from start to finish. Excellent communication, small, tailored classes and lots of options for activities outside classes. The homestay aspect made a difference. My family welcomed me like one of theirs and learned a lot from them. The city is a great location for the school, all places walkable, safe to be on your own and little English spoken. The teachers and school support staff were super helpful with any and all questions. As well, you meet some wonderful people .I attended a similar immersion program in Ecuador – this was 100% better. (The quality of teaching and the experience) I have no hesitation encouraging anyone (all ages) interested in advancing their Spanish and learning more about Costa Rica - consider Tico Lingo

I recently spent three weeks at Tico Lingo in the intensive Spanish course and loved every moment.

Location: The school is in a quiet, safe residential area with plenty of restaurants, shops and bakeries nearby. Heredia is a nice, small city, and I even spent Saturdays studying at a local university library.

Class and school: I like the small class size. My class had 2 students in one week and 4 in another week. My teacher, Zaida, was fantastic: organized, patient, and funny. I observed that all teachers there are friendly and supportive. The school is very organized with excellent staff members. In particular, the student advisor, Dani, is very helpful and is always there to assist the students.

Activities: The school offers dance, yoga, cooking, and language exchange in the afternoon, and also weekend excursions, weekly. The weekly schedule is posted every Monday. I really enjoyed all the activities I participated.

Homestay: I stayed with a warm, wonderful local family. It was only a 6-minute walk from the school.

I highly recommend Tico Lingo to anyone looking to improve Spanish in a fun, immersive environment.

I’ve been wanting to improve my Spanish skills for years and I finally made the commitment of taking online classes. I am SO GLAD that I did! My Tico Lingo instructor Marysella is amazing - she has helped me improve my grammar and vocabulary immensely over the past several weeks. Class is fun, interactive, adaptive, and tailored to my needs, and I’m always looking forward to the next class. If you’ve been considering taking Spanish classes, I highly recommend you go with Tico Lingo! I can’t wait to visit in person next time I’m in Costa Rica!

I had a great experience at Tico Lingo Language School in Costa Rica. Everyone was very friendly and welcoming. The students were wonderful, and I met many great people during my time there. The staff and teachers were excellent—patient, knowledgeable, and very supportive. Thanks to them and the immersive environment, I significantly improved my Spanish.

Choosing a homestay with a host family was also an amazing and enriching experience. It gave me the chance to practice Spanish every day while learning more about Costa Rican culture.

I highly recommend Tico Lingo to anyone looking for a great place to learn Spanish.

¡Pura vida!

Tico Lingo was an exhilarating and exciting experience! I enjoyed the classes and the extracurricular activities, hiking, yoga, cooking and dancing. I highly recommend this outstanding opportunity to anyone remotely interest in Spanish language and culture. You are fully immersed into Latino community, culture, and comradery. My only regret is that I couldn’t stay there longer. I think a month’s stay would’ve been more beneficial to my needs. I strongly recommend doing an online Duo Lingo, Babbel, Rosetta Stone or one of the other online bilingual apps to brush up on your vocabulary prior to attending.

I spent 5 weeks at Tico Lingo and can honestly say it helped my Spanish a ton! Chris and his crew run a great school and I highly recommend living with a home stay family. I spent time with 4 different teachers and they were all awesome. The classes are very relaxed yet engaging and the whole school has a very welcoming feel to it! I would definitely come back to learn more Spanish. I highly recommend Tico Lingo if you’re looking to improve your Spanish, meet some great people, and experience life in another country for a while.

Tico Lingo was a truly unique experience because it blended immersive language learning with deep cultural exchange. It wasn’t just about acquiring vocabulary; it was about living the language and interacting with native speakers in their communities. For any future Spanish learners, it’s a powerful mix of practical skill building, personal growth and a a window into a vibrant living culture.
Daily conversations,local traditions, and meaningful connections with residents accelerate language fluency while deepening cultural understanding. Surrounded by friendly , serious learners and teachers in a relaxed “ pura vida” life style can’t be beat. I highly recommend it.

I booked three weeks at Tico Lingo after being made redundant from my job. I had a bit of cash from my payout, I had time, and who wants to spend January in the UK if you can escape to Costa Rica?!

I spent a lot of time researching and thinking about whether Tico Lingo was right for me. Frankly, I kept trying to find something wrong with it, because it just seemed too good to be true: A place I already wanted to visit? Yes. Sunshine? Yes. Direct flights from my local airport? Yes. Safe and easy to get around? Yes. The option of homestay or Airbnb? Yes. Transparent about what's included and what extras are available? Yes. Extracurricular activities including yoga and dance?! Yes! And for free!

From the moment I enquired to long after I've left, the team have been friendly, fun and helpful. A special shout-out to Dani, who gives so much energy and care to every single student, going way above and beyond to make you feel welcome and included.

And, of course, you're there to learn Spanish - and mine improved massively.