It’s rare that London clubs live up to the hype but MAYA has got the formula exactly right and has stolen the crown as the West End’s hottest late night haunt.

The Venue
The entrance to MAYA begins with a steep staircase (with a doorman on hand at the bottom of the first flight of stairs ready to tag anyone leaving the club for a quick cigarette) and ends with a small cloakroom area to the left and a projection from floor to ceiling at the entrance of the club, which looks like a shimmering glass wall.

Walk through the projection and the club unfolds before you with a curved bar immediately on the left, a couple of tables with deep seating to the right and a glass cube of a DJ box straight ahead. In the first half of the club the walls are intermittently smeared with burnished gold paint as though a gaggle of supermodels were let loose during Fashion Week to cover their hands in tubes of cream eyeshadow and then lazily dragged them across the walls. Beyond the DJ box is a dancefloor with tables around the edge whilst at the far end there’s a slightly elevated level boasting its own bar, an illuminated glass platform that cries out to be danced on, more tables with woven black leather seating and walls clad with transparent screens etched in a mosaic effect, which alternate through a spectrum of vivid fluorescent colours during the night.

The Atmosphere
Upbeat and friendly, the crowd is handpicked on the door and whilst the policy may seem a bit Brave New World it does make for an electric atmosphere once you’re inside. The bar staff are friendly and do an admirable job of serving people quickly whilst table service is provided by a fleet of waitresses clad in bright yellow hotpant-length playsuits. Best of all, nearly everyone is dancing, which makes a refreshing change in the West End.

The Music
The music flicks from the latest rock band to grace the charts to Seventies cheese in a heartbeat, ensuring that the dancefloor is continually busy and that most people in MAYA are dancing - if they’re not on the main dancefloor you can guarantee they’re dancing around their table or on the glass platform.

The Drink
As you’d expect, Champagne and cocktails tend to be the drinks of choice and yes, you will see the occasional sparkler fizzing away in a magnum of Champagne. However, bottles of Brahma beer and tequila shots are also popular and are a wiser choice if you haven’t reserved a table as chances are at some point you will be hitting the dancefloor.

The Last Word
There’s little doubt that MAYA will become a firm fixture in many a famous face’s diary, but even if you haven’t reached the dizzy heights of A-list superstardom you won’t have to necessarily wait until world domination is yours to experience a night at MAYA. Take care over your appearance, leave any attitude at home and you’ll fit in just as well as any supermodel or film star.

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