Tico Lingo Reviews

I spent five weeks studying at Tico Lingo. I’m a middle-aged woman who left her husband and teenagers behind for a few weeks of Spanish language learning and discovery. I learned a lot during my time at Tico Lingo and met some very kind and interesting people from all walks of life (different ages, different cultures, different reasons for being there). I felt right at home. The teachers were super knowledgeable and accessible and the program was responsive to my needs. I loved Heredia and felt comfortable out and about. Highly recommend!

The Tico Lingo total Spanish immersion experience exceeded our expectations. Chris and his staff tried to meet all our requests when selecting our home stay family and frequently checked to ensure our time in Heredia was going well. We went from knowing only a few basic phrases, nouns and verbs to feeling more confident in conversations outside of the classroom. We still have much to learn, but now we can basically work our way through most interactions with locals. We can understand most of what they’re saying or asking and we can express our thoughts in words they can understand—though far from perfect. Our home stay Mama Tica (Elena) cooked many wonderful, traditional meals, but also accommodated any dietary restrictions needed. We learned we could easily tell her our favorite foods and ones we might not want to repeat without hurting her feelings. She was very kind, patient and spoke a bit more slowly to help us better understand each other during conversations. Our favorite time with her each week was going to the local Farmers Market (Ferria). We found some of the best fresh fruits and vegetables imaginable. And it was an additional way to interact with locals and practice what we were learning. Our instructors, YoBeth and Kevin used each lesson to build upon previous ones and introduce new subject matter. The levels of instruction were remarkable. Many days included homework. The learning process occasionally made our brains feel exhausted by the end of the day, but it was worth it. We originally planned for 4 weeks and after 2 weeks we were figuring out how to extend our stay for an additional week. Ideally, as beginners, I wish we’d have planned for 2 months. Tico Lingo provided opportunities for weekend excursions, but we have always enjoyed exploring places on our own time table. Some trips would include fellow students from class or give us time to meet other friends living in Costa Rica. Overall, this trip was wonderful. Even our most skeptical friends were impressed by how much we learned in a relatively short time. We’re continuing our language skills at home and are already planning a return trip. We would highly recommend the Tico Lingo immersion experience.

We spent a week in Heredia with Tico Lingo Spanish School. Our homestay experience was out of this world. Our “MamaTica” Vicki is a great cook and my wife Ani was able to get cooking instruction along with Spanish instruction. We have been to Heredia before and we enjoyed walking all over town to see the sights and visit old friends from previous visits.

Tico Lingo also was an excellent experience. We decided to take private lessons only this year and it really was great. My teacher Yóbeth and I were able to chat together for two hours straight without ever running out of things to talk about. I found it very comfortable and rewarding to talk about things that interested me rather than writing about typical “school subjects”.

All in all it was a great week where my wife and I both developed our Spanish conversation ability.

Dani, Chris, Zulma, and Yésica were also great.

I researched many emersion programs located in many countries. It was a hard decision to figure out where to go. My decision to pick Tico Lingo are as follows.

1. Not in a tourist area. Going to Tico Lingo in Heredia is not in a tourist area where the English is commonly spoken. When walking the streets of Heredia, you did not see tourist or hear english being spoken. That is a plus in my book.

2. The Homestay with a family. This feature that Tico Lingo offered was perhaps the most important part of this experience. Living with a a family within the community is an experience I will never forget. My Tico mother was wonderful. She cooked my meals twice a day and made sure I was comfortable. Living with a family gives you more Spanish speaking opportunities that I do not think other schools provide. Getting emerged into the culture by living with a family was one of the best experiences I have ever had in my life. Not only did I live with this family, they made me feel like family. We went on trips together, we visited other members of the family and just did things with them. I learned not only Spanish, but culture as well.

3. Airport transport. When arriving in a foreign country, it can feel very intimidating. Showing up in San Jose and having a person there to greet you and drive you to your host family was a bonus. only 20 min from the airport directly to your host family.

4. The Tico Lingo school staff were incredible. The instruction was great. While only spending 3 weeks, I do feel much more comfortable speaking and understanding Spanish. I do plan on coming back in about a year and repeat this experience.

This trip was also a scouting trip to make sure that this was something my family would want to do. Now that I know that this school is legit, my son and daughter will be attending in the near future. I highly recommend Tico Lingo.

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!

My experience learning Spanish with Tico Lingo has been amazing. Marysella is an excellent teacher — sharp, empathetic, and super friendly. She makes classes feel comfortable, engaging, and supportive. She explains things clearly and is genuinely kind and encouraging. She has also been very flexible with scheduling, which has helped me stay consistent while working full time. The remote format works really well and makes it easy to share materials and coordinate lessons. I would absolutely recommend Tico Lingo and Marysella to anyone looking to learn Spanish from anywhere.