When a waitress balances a champagne glass in her mouth, pours the Christian de Montaille and offers you a sip as she holds the base with her teeth, you know this place is a little more spicy than just another mundane Mayfair club. But new club on the block Anaya is not just about parading your assets and indulging in luxury – it’s fun too.

The Venue
Although located between Regent Street and Piccadilly Circus, Anaya, a new club that's taken over the address formerly known as Willa's, screams Soho-with-a-touch-of-class, rather than the full-blown haughtiness of Mayfair.

Design-wise, it’s clear that the mirror-panelled walls are practical as well as a glamorous touch – this underground club is tiny. It has four giant disco balls rotating above a central dance floor illuminated by rainbows of fluctuating LED lights. The mosaic mirror tiles extend from the disco balls onto the DJ booth and wall paneling and, aside from that, the sophisticated silver and black interior is sleek and in-keeping with the highest class of West End clubbing. Black leather couches flank the dancefloor and the VIP hub consists of five gleaming tables with silver ice-buckets and magnum Grey Goose bottles. Airhostess-worthy bar staff attend to your needs as they glide around the tables and saunter through the crowd with sparklers.

The Atmosphere
Anaya is intimate in a squashed sense. If they reduced the numbers by a mere 20 party-goers, then it would be much more breathable on the dance floor. Having said that, many of the party-goers don’t mind getting up close and personal. It’s clear from the moment you step into the club that the clientele are here to dance – and they KNOW how to dance; an eclectic, electric mix of spandex and polyester, tight, bright and beautiful, all mingle together in good synthetic fun.

Anaya is certainly exclusive, but with the young, exuberant atmosphere of a mainstream club. This non-pretension is a definite selling point. Whether you are VIP or on the guestlist, it’s refreshing to be rid of that stuffy reticent atmosphere that’s all too commonly mistaken for ‘exclusivity’ in Mayfair clubs nowadays. People are here to let loose and have a good time.

The Music
The music is a fine cocktail of funky house, r’n’b, and club classics. The quality of the sound system is awesome, but it’s not so loud that you can’t hold a decent conversation. Saturday nights are mostly commercial; a crowd-pleasing mix of the latest chart hits and, at 2am, the decks are often handed over to a ‘celebrity’ DJ.

The Drink
Private tables are available at £350, £500 and £750 minimum spend. You don’t have to book a table but you do need to be on the guestlist to get in. Like many clubs of this ilk, ladies can get in free before 11pm, but it’s £20 after – a price guys have to pay whatever time they turn up. The drinks menu is extensive, with bottled beer starting at £5 and a spirit and mixer around £10. Champagne ranges from £65 to £150 for the luxurious Louis Roederer Cristal.

The Last Word
Despite being a tight squeeze on the dance floor, Anaya is a club bursting with energy and it's one that offers a glitzy Mayfair experience without the toffee-nosed bores.

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