Many of Tulum’s beach clubs have been going towards an adults-only party environment, but Ana y José Beach Club is a stickler for the old-school family-friendly fun in the sun approach.
It sits on a beautiful stretch of the beach with a gorgeous view of the ocean, and it’s fair to say that our team was very excited to get out and find out if this place lived up to its reputation. And this is what they learned.
Introduction – Getting To Ana y José Beach Club
Where Is Ana y José Beach Club? Carr. Tulum-Boca Paila Km. 7, Tulum Beach, Punta Piedra, 77780 Tulum, Q.R., Mexico
Online: AnayJose
Opening Hours: 9 a.m. to 6.30 p.m.
What’s Available At Ana y José Beach Club?
This beach club offers private beach access, a lounge area of premium daybeds, cabanas and umbrellas, an outdoor swimming pool, showers and changing rooms.
It also has two restaurants, Ana’s Kitchen and Emblema Restaurant, along with a bar, Terrace Bar.
Beach club users are allowed access to the rest of the resort’s facilities, and this includes a spa, contrast therapy facilities, a fitness centre, yoga spaces, water sports equipment, kids’ club and playground (though childcare is available at an extra charge), as well as bicycle rentals.
Our Detailed Review Of Ana y José Beach Club
We always use the same structured process to review beach clubs. This results in fair assessments of owners, managers, and staff and keeps reviews in a standard format for easy comparison.
Steps:
- Give a team the job of evaluating the venue.
- Each member visits the club on their own and on different days.
- Reviewers rate categories from 1 to 5 and write notes.
- The team meets to talk and agree on the final scores.
- A chosen member writes the review for our website.
Reservation and Booking Process
Continuing with a somewhat annoying theme in Tulum, this beach club has no booking engine for daybeds, etc.
You can book a day pass in advance (this consists of a minimum spend commitment and a small booking fee), but that doesn’t secure you any specific bed, and if they’re busy, you may have to wait to get seated. But you will need to visit a separate website to book; it’s not an integrated booking system.
We find this quite frustrating; there’s just no reason that beach clubs should operate like this in 2026. A booking engine not only improves the customer experience, but it also helps to secure revenue for the beach club.
Ambience and Atmosphere
This is a relaxed and refined beach club. Think luxury-Boho vibes, and you won’t be far off. Their aim appears to be to capture the classic-Tulum vibe rather than to be moved by trends or fads.
Think unpretentious hospitality married to a peaceful, barefoot sophistication, and you won’t be far off.
It’s a place that welcomes families and couples with the intention of relaxing and enjoying premium beach comforts. It’s definitely not suited for parties and big groups of single sex individuals.
Location And Accessibility
Tulum is a very accessible location for those in North, Central and South America, though the flights may be long and hard. Flights out of the rest of the world are likely to be harder still, mind you.
To get to the beach club from the town, you will need a car or the services of a taxi, as it’s quite a distance away. Most people will plan to spend a day at Ana y Jose because of this.
Aesthetic And Design
We love the way that this beach club (and the resort that it’s associated with) blends naturally into the jungle and fits naturally onto the beach too.
If you love natural materials, traditional Mexican aesthetics and rich textures, you’re going to find that you fall in love with this place.
Staff Friendliness and Professionalism (Service Standard)
The staff at this beach club are very attentive, and you will find that they actively patrol the areas with patrons to ensure that they are always on hand when you need them.
We also found the team to be very friendly and professional, always happy to introduce themselves and to walk you through anything you want explained or to provide you with useful tips for enjoying Tulum.
Service Speed and Efficiency
We found that the staff here were very good at anticipating when they might be needed, and they would often materialise clutching a towel just as you were reaching for one.
They also take orders swiftly and ensure they are relayed to other teams quickly to have them delivered promptly without any undue waiting.
Food Quality and Variety
We tried eating all three meals at this beach club, and while we have a lot of time for the variety and quality of foods available for lunch and dinner, we confess we weren’t very impressed with the breakfast.
There’s not much variety on the breakfast menu, and everything falls short of the high standards that this beach club sets for the rest of the day. It wasn’t terrible, but we wouldn’t go back here for breakfast.
Beverage Selection and Creativity
There’s a good selection of alcoholic beverages and non-alcoholic drinks too. We found that the smoothies and fresh juices were excellent.
But as with many beach clubs in Tulum, drinks aren’t cheap. We don’t think this is unreasonable given the high standard of service and environment, but it’s worth being aware of if you’re on a budget.
Cleanliness and Hygiene
Big props go to the beach cleaning staff at this beach club; when the seaweed season hits town, they’re out every day making sure the beach stays spotless (compared to other strips of sand nearby) and thus, keeping the club free of unpleasant odours.
The rest of the premises are cleaned to even higher standards and the bathrooms, changing rooms, and pools are very nice indeed. Overall, we don’t think there’s much to worry about here.
Comfort of Seating and Lounging Areas
We liked the seating at this beach club; it looks great, and it feels as nice as it looks, which means that you can spend most of the day on a daybed chilling without getting sore or tired.
That’s always a good thing, though given how many things there are to do here, you may find you don’t spend that much time on the daybed anyway.
Music and Entertainment
The music at this beach club is very much background music, and there’s not really much in the way of entertainment, which would be fine except for one thing.
At times, the noise carries from other nearby beach clubs, polluting the soundscape and at that point, we’d really prefer they turned up the volume and just drowned it out. The club can’t do much about this problem, and either way, the solution makes some people unhappy.
Seasonality
The tropics provide year-round good weather, but there is a minor hurricane season in Tulum and a more major season of seaweed pollution on the beaches.
While the staff here do a great job of keeping the seaweed at bay, we can’t say the same for many of the other businesses here. So, you might want to bear that in mind before you book. Bali, for example, has no seaweed to contend with or hurricanes and it’s still tropical.
Pricing and Value for Money
We felt that this beach club was good value for money but not exceptional. It definitely feels expensive for Tulum, but when compared to the other beach clubs here, it’s not out of line.
We expect to pay a premium for great service, comfy seats, swimming pools, etc.; anyway, they don’t come for free, sadly.
Beach Access and Quality
You get private beach access here, which is a big deal in Tulum considering they charge $22 a day to walk on the beach as a foreigner, and yes, that’s per person. So for a family of four, you’re paying $88 a day! Unless you find a business like this one.
And the beach is lovely, except for the 6 months of the year when it’s covered in seaweed, but even then, the staff keep most of that at bay, for which we are forever grateful.
Sustainability Practices
Tulum’s businesses tend to attract a certain modern, wealthy hippy type, and that means there’s usually good levels of compliance regarding eco-friendly practices.
Here they have a Green Key Certificate, participate in community clean-ups, promote free beach access, and offer carbon-neutral bookings for the resort (not the beach club).
And the architecture was all designed with sustainability in mind, too. With local organic materials being much of the resources used to build the place.
Exclusive Perks for Guests
The inclusions here are perfectly OK; you get the usual towel and beach bed. But you also get access to the resort’s other facilities (though some of these still require additional payments; you can enter the spa, for example, but you still have to pay for a massage).
Given that there’s quite a lot going on at this resort, this is a good deal. But they, like many other beach clubs, are missing out on the opportunity to create premium VIP style experiences, and that’s a shame. We like being pampered on holiday and don’t mind paying for it.
Safety and Security
The beach club takes security seriously. They have a round-the-clock security presence, offer lockers to secure your valuables, and you have to pass through checks to enter the resort grounds.
However, this is Tulum, the only place on Earth where people get shot in beach clubs. So, you can never be 100% certain that you are safe here.
Event Hosting Capabilities
This beach club has a dedicated events team and hosts beach weddings and private dining events. It’s not the biggest place, though, and most of their events tend to be tied to staying in the hotel.
However, we’ve got no doubt that they would deliver a first-rate experience if you opted to host an event here.
Consistency of Experience
Based on our own repeated attendance and on the feedback from others and the online reviews, etc. that we read as part of our research, we feel that this beach club delivers a very consistent experience.
However, there’s not much in the way of a culture of continuous improvement here; it’s good, and they’re sticking with what works rather than trying to be better and better.
Additional Amenities and Facilities
The hotel offers a wide range of facilities, and there’s no doubt that if you’re at this beach club, you probably won’t get bored for a day.
However, if there is something you need that they don’t have, you’re going to have to travel for it, as this beach club is a long way out of town.
Summary
This is an excellent beach club for spending a quiet day relaxing, indulging in good food, and even doing a bit of a workout.
It’s not for the party animals, but that’s OK; there are plenty of opportunities for raging elsewhere in Tulum.
We’d be happy to stop by this place again if we’re in the neighbourhood, and we doubt anyone has a bad time here.
FAQs
Can You Go Swimming At Ana y José Beach Club?
There is a nice pool at this beach club; it’s in an elevated position that overlooks the sand and the sea beyond it. It’s surrounded by tropical palm trees and lounge areas.
However, it’s not the biggest pool, and it can get busy as the day draws on, so if swimming is a must for you, then we’d recommend that you get there early.
What Is There To Do At Ana y José Beach Club?
This is a beach club with plenty to offer; you can enjoy the pool, stretch out in the sun, sample some of their famous food or indulge in a few drinks.
As you get access to the hotel facilities, you can also enjoy watersports, access the kids’ club and facilities, meditate, work out, and much more.
There’s no doubt that it’s hard to be bored if at this beach club if you’re wellness-focused.
Is Ana y José Beach Club A Child-Friendly Venue?
Yes, while many of the beach clubs and hotels in this part of Tulum are adults-only, this property actively welcomes children, and there are dedicated kids’ amenities at the resort, ensuring that there is a relaxed and welcoming environment for families.
This includes an on-beach playground (with a swing set, play area and more), a kids’ zone with beach toys and childcare services on weekends, a shallow swimming pool for children, kid-approved dining options and safe ocean swimming with no riptides, shallow waters and no rocks to cut little feet.
Who Is The Owner Of Ana y José Beach Club?
This beach club and resort is owned by Alfredo Soto, a local businessman. The name of the resort comes from its original founders, who named it after themselves; it was the very first boutique hotel to appear on the Tulum beachfront.
However, Mr Soto has managed and expanded the property for many years now and has transformed it from a minor rustic getaway into an upscale, eco-chic destination.
Mr Soto is also the owner and manager of the sister property in Holbox.
Is Ana y José Beach Club All-Inclusive?
It depends. If you are a hotel guest, you may have paid for their UNIQUE FULL EXPERIENCE package, which provides all meals, snacks, drinks for most of the day (including alcohol), and sometimes minibar access too.
However, if you are just intending to use the beach club without staying at the resort, there is no all-inclusive package. You are expected to commit to a minimum spend agreement with a small booking fee if you book in advance (the beach club does not have its own booking engine, so the fee is essentially a booking platform fee and not one levied by the club).
Final Thoughts On Ana y José Beach Club
We really enjoyed spending time at this beach club, and we’d be happy to go back again in the future. No, it’s not the best club we’ve ever been to, but for a relaxing day out in Tulum? It’s hard to beat.
But if you want to party, you will want to look elsewhere.
