One week at Blink Spanish School, Medellin: a review

I’ve been trying to learn Spanish since 2022 when I travelled to Mexico, and like most people who started their language-learning journey on DuoLingo, I soon hit a wall. I would pick things up a bit ahead of holidays to other Spanish-speaking countries, but I just wasn’t getting the hang of the conjugation rules, the various past tenses, and how reflexive and affective verbs work. 

But in 2025 I decided to start taking things more seriously. The decision I had to make was whether to just give up, or take a step beyond the gamification of DuoLingo. After spending two weeks in Colombia in March, I knew which way I was going to go. And just four months later, I was back in Medellin to study at Blink Spanish School.

Review of Blink Spanish School, Medellin

Let’s start with the most important point: I loved Blink Spanish School. I spent a week there in August 2025, and really wish I’d been able to stay longer (but sadly other travel plans didn’t allow it. 

Firstly, I already knew I loved Medellin, so I decided to spend a couple of nights settling back into the city and the time zone by staying in a nearby hostel in El Poblado. I moved into a private room (La Magdalena) at Blink on Sunday, and stayed in the same room until the following Sunday. It had a comfy double bed, a sofa, a desk, a fridge, and an en suite bathroom with a shower. There is plenty of accommodation to choose from including dorms and rooms for couples. 

I joined the Blink Mini Immersion course, which meant I got 5 private lessons – an hour each day of the week. I had the option to switch this to 10 1-hour master classes on various subjects, but instead I chose to add these for a small additional cost.

In total, I spent about £200 for a week of private accommodation, breakfast and lunch from the cafe next door, and a week’s worth of classes at Blink. This is insanely good value as it is, made even better by the fact that everything from the room to the food to the teaching was amazing.

What happens at Blink Spanish School?

I was on the Blink Mini Immersion course which meant that I had private classes and master classes each day. You can choose which master classes you join, as they are themed and so it’s best to pick and choose based on the topics you know you’d like to improve on. The private classes are also tailored to the areas you want to study.

If you’re in the full immersion classes, you will have 3-4 hours of study in the morning starting anywhere between 7:30-9am. For this reason, private and master classes all take place in the afternoons, after the group classes have finished and everyone has had lunch.

All the classes are very interactive and offer plenty of opportunities to read, write, and speak in Spanish. Plus, almost all of the classes are delivered in Spanish which is amazing for honing your listening skills.

What is Blink Spanish School like?

Other than your class timetable, there’s not much structure to your time at Blink – everyone is an adult and able to spend their free time as they like. I found it very sociable and quickly made friends at the group drinks on the first night.

There are communal kitchens and sofa areas, and the school puts on a range of events throughout the week that you can choose to join. You’ll also be added to two group chats where you can keep up with news and any other social events that students are getting involved in.

The vibe at Blink is really open and friendly and I found it really easy to get on with everyone. But equally, if you just want to get your head down and study there is plenty of space for that too.

What courses are available at Blink Spanish School?

There are a wide range of courses available at Blink, from the Monster Immersion course that offers 20 hours of group classes, unlimited master classes, and 5 private classes to the Mini course that I did. You can also choose just to have private classes. And once you’re finished (or even before you go, if you prefer) you can join their online SpanishFit and SpanishAmigo classes (more on those later).

You can find out more about all the options available here.

Should I stay at Blink in Medellin?

You can join Blink’s Spanish courses without staying on site in their accommodation, but I found this the best way to socialise easily and make friends. There are lots of different rooms and dorms to choose from, and it does feel like you’re more fully-immersed in the experience by staying at the school. It’s also really conveniently situated in Manila, near the bars and restaurants of El Poblado and Provenza, for when you’re not studying.

I also chose the option that included food as I’d heard good things, and wasn’t disappointed.  The cafe next door serves breakfast and lunch to everyone at the school as well as to lots of local workers, so it’s busy every day. The courses are big, there’s always a vegetarian option, and it’s always delicious, local dishes. I found the lunch options so big that I would often get them to take away and save half for an afternoon snack or dinner (making the experience even more affordable!)

Where is Blink Spanish School?

Blink is in Manila, an area of El Poblado that’s very popular with tourists making it relatively safe. The street is quiet, but does have plenty of bars and restaurants and there are plenty more on the surrounding streets. You can get into Provenza in about 5 minutes by taxi (or on foot in about 20 minutes during daylight hours), and El Poblado station is a 15-20 minute walk away.

How long should I spend at Blink Spanish School?

I spent one week at Blink Spanish School but I wish I’d spent longer. They recommend at least two weeks for Spanish beginners, but I think it’s worth staying for two or three weeks just because, if you’re like me, you won’t feel ready to end your experience after just one week. So many of my friends were staying on after I’d left and I would have loved to continue my learning experience with my amazing private teacher (and the other staff at Blink).

Find out more about what I did in Medellin here.

What should I do after Blink Spanish School in Medellin?

First, you should explore the rest of Colombia (if you haven’t already). Then, when you’re home, sign up to SpanishFit. It took me a few weeks to commit to this, as ideally you need at least 90 minutes (the time of one weekly online class) and I was already attending a Spanish school in London and other online sessions. But I’m really glad I joined.

The pricing packages range quite widely, but all give you access to the SpanishAmigo courses, which you can work through at your own pace, and virtual lessons that align with each class in the SpanishAmigo curriculum. 

Then, depending on the level you can choose whether to add in private classes. If you don’t subscribe to a package that includes private classes, you can still pay extra to add these as and when you decide you want them.

The virtual classes are really interactive, and you don’t just have to join classes that are in line with your progress. It’s encouraged to join sessions that are lower than your current level to revise old topics, and I’ve been joining some that are technically a step ahead as I already feel comfortable with some of the subject matter.

The teachers are friendly and engaging and tend to follow up with homework for the next class. And if you miss one, you can request a recording so you don’t fall behind. There are eight virtual classes per level (A1.1 to B2.3) which happen on a rolling basis, so I requested the recordings of the sessions that I had missed by a week or so and knew wouldn’t be happening again that soon. I received an email with links to the recordings plus notes, homework, and a link to the corresponding session in SpanishAmigo the following day.

Overall I’ve been really impressed by SpanishAmigo and SpanishFit so far. I’ve been using it daily (making it an absolute bargain at about $34 USD per month) and it’s definitely going to be a key part of my learning as I continue getting to grips with Spanish. And, hopefully, I’ll be back at Blink in person one day soon, too.