Tulum has plenty of beach clubs to choose from, but one of our main complaints is that so many of them look very similar; they’re all based on the use of the same materials, colour schemes and architectural inspiration.
Sana Tulum, however, dares to be different. It takes its vibe from the North African state of Morocco, and that means you can be sure to get some unique shots for your Instagram feed at this beach club.
It’s also adults-only, one of the very few places in Tulum to recognise that kids and drunken parties don’t mix well. So, our team was keen to see what Sana Tulum was all about, and this is what they found there.
Introduction – Getting To Sana Tulum
Where Is Sana Tulum? Carr. Tulum-Boca Paila km 10, Tulum Beach, Zona Costera, 77780 Tulum, Q.R., Mexico
Online: Sana
Opening Hours: 8 a.m. – 10 p.m.
What’s Available At Sana Tulum?
Sana Tulum has a pleasant beachfront lounge with daybeds shaded by umbrellas and waiter service. There’s a nice rooftop infinity pool with a great view of the sea and beach below.
They have an on-site restaurant specialising in Mediterranean-Moroccan cuisine and local seafood. There are regular melodic house music sets with live DJs.
You can also enjoy valet parking and high-speed Wi-Fi throughout the venue.
We should note that this is a smaller beach club which gives priority to residents of the hotel it’s associated with; therefore it’s important to book in advance as they may have no day pass availability for walk-in guests.
Our Detailed Review Of Sana Tulum
We use the same clear process for every beach club review. This guarantees fairness towards owners, managers, and staff and presents all reviews in a matching format for straightforward comparisons.
Steps:
- Assign a review team to the venue.
- Each member visits independently on different days.
- Reviewers rate categories from 1 to 5 on scorecards and note their thoughts.
- The team convenes to discuss experiences and agree on scores.
- A selected member writes the final review for our website.
Reservation and Booking Process
In theory, you can reserve a spot on OpenTable at this beach club; in reality, nobody’s kept the system up to date, and you will have to go through a process of calling and emailing to try and get a reservation.
This makes it impossible for you to ensure that you get a seat in a particular location and leaves you rather at the mercy of someone’s word that you will actually have a seat at all.
Tulum’s beach clubs appear to be operating in a different era from the rest of the world; it’s so easy to integrate a decent booking system into a website, but none of them seems to be bothered to do it.
Ambience and Atmosphere
Sana Tulum is all about conveying that upscale vibe, and while there is a party-edge to things, they tend to go with a more melodic house backdrop that merges with the waves lapping on the shore.
We would note that in our times at this beach club, most people there are in couples and there’s very little social interaction. So, if you want somewhere to rock up solo or in a big group of mates, this probably isn’t it.
Location And Accessibility
Tulum itself is easy enough to get to from most parts of the Americas, though journeys may be long and require one or more changes of plane. It’s even more challenging to reach from the rest of the world.
Once you’re in town, this beach club is on the hotel strip along the coastline about 10 km from town, which means you will need transportation to and from the beach club.
Aesthetic And Design
We really liked the Moroccan-style design, and it was so nice to visit a beach club that wasn’t just trying to be the same as every other beach club in Tulum for once.
It feels exclusive and high-class, and that’s definitely the impression that they’re trying to make. We also like their dedication to keeping things low-density; once this club is full, it’s full, and they’re not going to allow it to become crowded.
Staff Friendliness and Professionalism (Service Standard)
We felt that the staff at Sana Tulum were next level compared to many of the other beach clubs in Tulum. They were warm and friendly, but most of all they were consummate professionals.
You felt like it was their genuine mission in life to represent the beach club in the best way possible and to make your visit as delightful as possible. They are a major asset to Sana Tulum.
Service Speed and Efficiency
Similarly, we felt that the service speed and efficiency here was excellent. We think it helps that “busy periods” just mean “all the daybeds are occupied” rather than “standing throngs of people”; if you don’t overwhelm the staff, it’s much easier to ensure that people get what they need.
Orders are taken quickly and then fulfilled in a very reasonable time frame. Even getting the final check isn’t a trial.
Food Quality and Variety
While the menu isn’t quite as varied as it is at some of the other beach clubs in town, there’s enough there to keep you interested for a full day.
And their freshly baked goods and wood-fired treats, in particular, stand out as amazing quality and value for money. The Moroccan touches on the menu are great too.
Beverage Selection and Creativity
You’re never going to get cheap drinks at a beach club in Tulum, but this place is very reasonable when compared to other places in the hotel zone, and their daily happy hour (which runs for 7 hours) makes it very good value for money, indeed.
Their watermelon mezcalitas are the start of the show and all the cocktails are handcrafted and beautifully presented.
Cleanliness and Hygiene
They do clear away the seaweed during the sargassum season on the beach but not as regularly as we’d like, and it can look a bit messy by the end of the day (though it won’t stink).
Other than that, things inside the beach club itself are excellent, and the toilets, common areas, etc. are very clean, indeed.
However, there are some minor parts of this beach club that could use a little maintenance, as the sinks, for example, are looking very worn out.
Comfort of Seating and Lounging Areas
We found the daybeds on the sand and the covered seating areas to be quite comfortable, though they weren’t quite the best we’ve ever experienced.
Overall, we did move a couple of times during the course of the day (particularly when we went up to the rooftop to use the pool), and changing seats helped us stay feeling fresh all day long.
Music and Entertainment
The melodic house music is great for the kind of parties where people sway softly in the sea breeze and enjoy strong drinks as the sunsets.
You won’t find people raging here, and there’s not much in the way of entertainment beyond the DJs, but they know what they’re about at Sana Tulum and deliver it admirably.
Seasonality
Tulum’s seasons are not based on the usual dry vs hot season; in the tropics, these two things often don’t mean that much and in places like Bali, for example, it’s hot and pleasant all year round.
However, Tulum has two seasons that may give you pause for thought even though Sana Tulum is open all year round.
The first is the hurricane season, which is brief but there’s a genuine risk of an unpleasant storm impinging on your holiday fun. The second, bigger issue is the seaweed season, which runs for 8 months of the year and leaves the shore coated in foul-smelling weed.
Pricing and Value for Money
We felt that Sana Tulum was very good value for money. While they didn’t quite knock it out of the park in this category, we would note that the food and drinks are very reasonably priced for this part of the town.
Beach Access and Quality
The beach in Tulum is quite lovely; when it’s not buried under seaweed, the sand is beautiful, white and soft underfoot, and we really enjoy walking on the beach.
But it’s hard for the beach club to keep the seaweed off for much of the year, and other nearby properties make less effort to keep their areas clean.
We would note that free access to the beach is a nice perk at this beach club, as Tulum’s local government charges foreigners and locals to walk on the sand otherwise.
Sustainability Practices
Sustainability is important to beach clubbers in Tulum and every beach club m,akes some effort in this area.
However, apart from the low-density design and open-air architecture, we couldn’t find any trave of additional sustainability practices at Sana Tulum. This leaves a lot of room for improvement.
Exclusive Perks for Guests
You get access to the available seating, towels and the changing facilities as part of the day pass and minimum spend agreement.
Overall, this is a very standard deal for Tulum, but there are no VIP experiences on offer, not even for a premium rate.
Safety and Security
This beach club is reasonably safe, and there is an on-site security team present at all times. There’s not much in the way of petty theft inside the club, thanks to the absence of crowds as much as anything else.
However, the surrounding area is not very safe, particularly at night. You would be very well advised to have transportation waiting for you before you leave this beach club.
Event Hosting Capabilities
They offer event hosting at this beach club, though given its limited size, they can’t accommodate huge crowds of people. It’s nice for a wedding on the beach, or a meal for a decent-sized group.
However, you should be aware that hiring Sana Tulum for a private event does not change the fact that this club is adults-only. You still can’t bring any children with you.
Consistency of Experience
Our team, based on repeat visits, oral feedback from other guests and online reviews, felt that the experience at Sana Tulum was very reliable.
There’s no effort visible to see them trying to evolve the experience into something even better, but there’s no harm in resting on your laurels when what you have works pretty well, already, right?
Additional Amenities and Facilities
This beach club offers a fairly standard range of facilities, though if you want to stay here, the on-site hotel is a good option.
Otherwise, you will need transportation to get anything they don’t have, as the local area is not very safe to walk around, particularly after dark.
Summary
We very much enjoyed our time at Sana Tulum. This is a beach club that has created its own unique niche in the Tulum scene and is very good at fulfilling its promises to its core audience.
Our team would be delighted to go back again when they’re next in town, and would be happy to recommend it to anyone interested in it. It’s not worth travelling all the way to Tulum for on its own, mind you, but it’s a solid beach club.
FAQs
Can You Go Swimming At Sana Tulum?
Yes, it’s easy to swim at Sana Tulum. Firstly, you have access to the rooftop pool. This is a heated pool with spectacular views over the surrounding area and over the beach and ocean below.
You can also swim in the sea; towels are provided at your daybed to facilitate this. We would note that the sea isn’t always pleasant to swim in because during the seaweed season (which runs for two-thirds of the year) the water may be full of sargassum and it’s not nice on your skin.
What Is There To Do At Sana Tulum?
You can swim, eat, drink, relax and dance a little to the music. While there is a party vibe going on, it’s not as intense as at some of the other beach clubs, and the whole thing tends to be quite chill and good-natured.
Is Sana Tulum A Child-Friendly Venue?
No, both the beach club and the associated resort are explicitly adults-only, and they will expect to see ID if there’s any doubt.
We admire this stance and wish that more clubs in Tulum would adopt it. If you’re going to run a party-oriented club, then it ought to restrict access to kids, who don’t need to see drunken adults cavorting with each other.
The good news is that Tulum has plenty of excellent family-friendly beach clubs too, so you won’t miss out on anything if you can’t leave your kids with a sitter for an afternoon to come to Sana.
Who Is The Owner Of Sana Tulum?
Shimi Malka, a local businessperson, is the founder and head of the board for Sana Tulum.
Can You Stay At Sana Tulum?
Yes, you can stay at the boutique hotel that operates next to the beach club, and you are provided with priority access to the beach club if you do.
Room rates start at around $300 USD a night but vary depending on the season and the exact room that you want.
Is Sana Tulum All-Inclusive?
No, Sana Tulum is not an all-inclusive resort or beach club operation. You are expected to pay for what you use on an à la carte basis.
The only all-inclusive resorts in Tulum are those run by the “big brand” hotels such as Hilton or Marriott.
We would note that the resort does provide some nice inclusions for guests who book a room, including breakfast, beach club access, pool access, etc.
What’s The Dress Code At Sana Tulum?
They have a casual dress code but like to place an emphasis on “riad chic”, which means trying to blend traditional Moroccan aesthetic with a more relaxed beachwear vibe.
Think sandals or bare feet, stylish swimwear, kaftans and light linen cover-ups in the daytime and at night go with boho-chic resort wear. Try to avoid sportswear, streetwear or entering the covered dining areas in just your swimwear.
Final Thoughts On The Review Of Sana Tulum
Sana Tulum is a nice experience, and as long as you book in advance to secure a spot, because it’s a relatively small place, you’re going to have a good day out here.
We like the balance between relaxation and party vibe, and the place is visually stunning and a breath of fresh air after you’ve visited a bunch of Tulum’s beach clubs.
If we were passing by, we’d definitely want to drop in again, and if you opt to stay in the on-site resort, we think it’s a huge value add to have guaranteed access to this beach club.
