If you are a digital nomad looking to stay in Playa del Carmen (México) you will have probably stumbled across Anana Coliving, one of the only coliving spaces in the area.
I love staying in coliving spaces (like the ones provided by Outsite). Typically, they foster great communities and provide adequate workspaces, so I tend to prioritise them over an Airbnb or hotel.
Playa del Carmen is a digital nomad hotspot, with loads of great food and coffee shops. To make the most of this, I decided to stay at Anana Coliving for a month. I work most weekdays and require stable internet for online meetings and content creation.
Unfortunately, I ended up shortening my stay by 1.5 weeks. In this honest Anana Coliving review, I’ll share my honest experience, including my thoughts on the work friendliness, the community, the staff, the accommodation, the location and the value, as well as my reasons for leaving early.
Whilst you are here, you might want to check out all these awesome digital nomad accommodation sites.
Pros
- Affordable prices
- Solid WiFi
- Weekly room cleaning for long stays
- Supermarkets nearby
- Quiet location
Cons
- Lack of community or events
- Noisy staff members
- Uncomfortable workspaces
- Lack of kitchen equipment
What is Anana Coliving?
Anana Coliving is an accommodation designed for digital nomads located in Playa del Carmen. They claim to offer reliable WiFi, rooms designed for digital nomads and twice-weekly communal events to connect guests.
They have private rooms, studios and apartments with a shared living and cooking space located on the ground floor of the building. A few of their rooms are located across the street (away from the shared spaces) so you may want to ask about this before booking.
My experience
Having now completed my stay at Anana Coliving I will share my honest experience of my time there. I stayed in one of their studio rooms, which promised a bed, private bathroom, desk space, and kitchen. I will talk about everything from the WiFi and workspaces to the space itself, the staff and the community.
TL;DR: When looking at pictures and old reviews, I get the impression that Anana Coliving used to be a thriving digital nomad community. However, there was zero community or effort put into organising anything throughout my stay (in January 2025). The spaces felt neglected and I found the desks and shared spaces uncomfortable (or impossible) to work from. The WiFi was great and I enjoyed the quiet location, which was close to a few supermarkets. I felt it was overpriced but certainly cheaper than a studio on Airbnb.
Is it work-friendly?
My opinions on the work-friendliness of Anana Coliving are mixed. Whilst I found the WiFi to be reliable and fast, good enough to take online meetings all throughout my stay, the workspaces themselves weren’t comfortable enough.
The desk in my room was located next to the door which made it impossible to sit there comfortably and have someone pass behind you. And despite the room being for two, they only provide space and a chair for one (contrary to the advertised pictures), which was an issue since I was staying with my friend. The chair itself was a stiff old wooden dining chair (also not as advertised) which wasn’t great for working on for periods longer than 30 minutes.
The communal spaces include a dining table in the central courtyard, which was mostly used for people to eat from but was also the ‘coworking’ space. It was also open to the elements meaning you are likely to get rained on during the wetter seasons. There are no proper desks or quiet spaces for you to work from.
That being said, the coworking space was as advertised, so I was already aware that there were no proper desks or quiet spaces to take calls from. I just hoped that the workspace in my room was more fit.
Summary: If you are the kind of person who can work anywhere, be it outside, inside, in a hammock, or on the beach, then you’ll be fine here. The WiFi was great and there were quiet periods in the communal spaces throughout the day. But if you need a more traditional desk set up then you won’t get that here.
How is the community?
Community is one of the main reasons why I like to stay in coliving spaces. It is a great way to meet like-minded people – I have made a fair few close friends and business acquaintances in coliving spaces.
Most coliving spaces foster this by creating Whatsapp groups or by organising weekly events. This was something that Anana Coliving advertised doing (2 events each week) and I can see they used to do it when I look at photographs on their website and socials.
However, throughout my 2.5 weeks there I received no communications from the host about events, nor did anything appear to happen in the communal spaces. Having read recent reviews of Anana Coliving on Google and Booking.com, I can see that other people have experienced something similar. So I wonder why they have stopped.
Despite this, because of the very nature of coliving, you may well still get to meet other guests during your stay. For instance, I got chatting with a guy who was staying on my floor in the building when he passed by my window.
From what I saw, there were a variety of different kinds of people staying there, some appeared to be holidaymakers, others were nomads, and some were locals. If the organised events went ahead, this would have made for some great socialising!
Summary: Despite there being social events organised here in the past, there was no effort made to foster community during my stay. That being said, if you hang about in the communal spaces, like the kitchen and outside dining area, you may well meet a few other guests yourself.
How are the staff?
From the get-go, I found all of the staff to be friendly and helpful. They were always quick to answer any questions I had on WhatsApp, plus they provided plenty of information for my check-in.
After 1 week, they contacted me to have my room cleaned, which I appreciated. However, any communication past that was limited. Like the lack of community building (as mentioned above), and details on using any extra facilities like the onsite laundry.
The staff were around the building from the early morning until late at night, which was great if you needed any help. But, they were noisy and I barely slept throughout my stay. The staff members were downstairs in the communal areas until midnight laughing and talking loudly.
Throughout the night people would be going up and down the metal stairs to the rooftop, plus there were weird drilling noises in the middle of the night, and then around 5 am every morning, I would get woken up by a staff member sweeping the floors outside my room.
Another friend of mine, who was staying in a first-floor room, asked them to be quiet around midnight and whilst they quietened down, this continued throughout my time there.
This was the main reason I cut my month-long stay 1.5 weeks short. My 3-4 hours sleep every night wasn’t conducive to great work. I have also read a few other reviews on Google and Booking.com that mention the noise, but these were all recent, so potentially this is a short-term issue.
Summary: The staff are friendly and helpful, yet I also found them to be noisy in the early mornings and at nighttime. I did not get a good night’s sleep here!
What is the accommodation like?
The accommodation itself is basic but you get most of the essentials, including a bed, bed linens, private bathroom, towels, and toilet paper. Some rooms also come with a small kitchenette, but otherwise, you can use the shared kitchen.
I believe all of the rooms have air conditioning and a ceiling fan (mine had both), but do check the listing. The water in my room was lukewarm, but I was informed of this upon booking.
The kitchen in my room didn’t have a kettle, a coffee maker (which was pictured), or bowls. It did have an electric stove top, a frying pan, and a saucepan, along with some cutlery and utensils. The sink had a draining rack, but they left me with an old dirty sponge for cleaning with – which I disposed of very quickly.
They also no longer have a kettle in the shared kitchen, so you need to use the coffee maker or a saucepan to make coffee and tea. I chose to visit Ressio or Quadra most days, for coffee and work.
My room had a damp smell and I could see water drips in a few places on the walls. I must have gotten used to this smell because I could no longer notice it after a few days until I arrived at my next accommodation and could smell it all over my clothes.
Summary: The rooms and communal spaces are basic and a little neglected. But if you are fine with just the essentials then you’ll probably be satisfied. They also have a damp problem so the rooms are a little musty.
How is the location?
I like the location of Anana Coliving. I’ve read some reviews saying it isn’t close enough to the centre, but I prefer being away from 5th Avenue, which is loud and chaotic. The street is quiet and I don’t think it is too far from everything you’ll need, including restaurants, cafes, the beach, and supermarkets.
Most things are within walking distance from Anana Coliving. Here are the average times it took for me to walk to these places:
- A 14 minute walk to 5th Avenue.
- A 16 minute walk to the closest public beach.
- A 7 minute walk to Ressio, my favourite coffee shop in Playa del Carmen.
- A 3 minute walk to Soriana supermarket and about 7 minutes to Walmart.
- An 8 minute walk to the ADO Alterna station, which takes you back to Cancun Airport. But a 20 minute walk from ADO Turista, which is where you’ll arrive from the airport (it doesn’t stop at the Alterna station on the way in).
- An 18 minute walk to the Colectivo station that gets you to Tulum (for around 60 MXN).
- A 40 minute walk to Playa 72 Colosio (my favourite public beach).
If you don’t like walking so much, then most taxis that you pick up on the street are pretty cheap. Speaking Spanish will help here.
Summary: If you prefer peace and quiet and don’t mind walking places (around 5-20 minutes depending on where), then Anana is the perfect location. If you prefer being in the hustle and bustle and can sleep through whatever noise, then you may prefer being closer to 5th Avenue.
Is it good value for money?
Staying in Playa del Carmen is expensive since it is a very touristy spot. Therefore, a basic studio can cost you upward of £1200 per month. My studio at Anana Coliving cost me half of this. The cost covers all bills and cleaning (although they do ask you to leave a tip).
Therefore, in comparison to other places, Anana Coliving is value for money. However, I do think without the community events and comfortable working spaces, they are overpriced for what they offer.
Summary: If you are on a budget and want to stay in Playa del Carmen with access to your own kitchen (or a shared one), then you’ll definitely be able to save a few pennies by staying in Anana Coliving.
My Anana Coliving review verdict
My expectations of Anana Coliving weren’t particularly high, but even then, I felt somewhat let down. I don’t mind staying in more basic accommodation, particularly when budgeting, but as a coliving space that promises community, I felt they had really missed the mark.
The guy I met on my floor mentioned the difference in the space a year ago, saying it was a lot more community-led back then with many events happening. You can also see this was the case when browsing their photos on socials and their website.
I can look past the workspaces being makeshift and uncomfortable if the atmosphere and community had been as promised. And if there were some curfews put in place for noise, particularly for their staff members.
If I am on a budget the next time I visit Playa del Carmen, I may consider staying at Anana Coliving again. Particularly since my experience doesn’t seem to reflect that of many past reviews (suggesting a minor blip in their service offering). However, I would really hope they sort out their noise issues and reevaluate their ‘digital nomad’ offering.
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