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In 1991 Billy and Akaisha Kaderli retired at the age of 38. Now, into their 4th decade of this financially independent lifestyle, they invite you to take advantage of their wisdom and experience.

Monte Coxala

Lake Chapala, Mexico

Billy and Akaisha Kaderli

Currency Exchange

We have lived in the Lake Chapala area off and on since 1993.

Hearing rumors of a restaurant/spa up by the Raquet Club in San Juan Cosala that had outstanding views, we always meant to go visit. Being about an hour out of our town of Chapala, we became lazy over the idea and eventually forgot about it.

Interest was renewed recently and all of a sudden we just had to go!

See our pictorial below.

Map showing location of Monte Coxala, San Juan Cosala, Mexico

Map showing the location of Monte Coxala

From our apartment in Chapala Centro, we walked to the Bus Station to pick up a taxi.

For 170Pesos (about $9USD) he agreed to take us to Monte Coxala where we planned to eat lunch at Restaurant Chac Lan.

Entrance to Monte Coxala, San Juan Cosala, Mexico

The entrance to Monte Coxala

Some say the meaning of Monte Coxala is "Big Mountain."

Well, that certainly fits for this area since we have hills more than mountains. But this one IS pretty big.

Approximately 20 years ago, a local doctor had a vision. His dream was to recreate a place like the pre-hispanic ancestors had many years ago, including pyramids, Mayan symbols, snakes, spirals, thermal waters, and using quartz and obsidian throughout the grounds.

This is a magical place to relax and appreciate nature.

The Check-in office is to the left of this photo and I mentioned that we wanted to eat lunch at Chac Lan.

The receptionist called for a Monte Coxala taxi, and he took us there straight away with no charge.

Famous Big Head at Monte Coxala, San Juan Cosala, Mexico

A large Olmec head on the grounds

Chac Lan Restaurant was a bit of a drive on these grounds, and we were able to enjoy the gardens and various hotels along the way.

This Olmec head in the center of the photo is a very famous sculpture at Monte Coxala.

People often get their photo taken by it.

View from the road inside Monte Coxala, San Juan Cosala, Mexico

View from the road of Lake Chapala

The Chac Lan Palapa Restaurant is on the left.

Here you see beautiful gardens, ancient symbols, sculptures and a swimming pool.

Beautiful Lake Chapala is in the background.

View from Restaurant Chac Lan, Monte Coxala, San Juan Cosala, Mexico

View from Chac Lan Restaurant

The grounds are massive.

When we arrived at Chac Lan Restaurant, we were guided to go upstairs to the Palapa part of the restaurant.

Arriving about 1pm, Fernando, the waiter said it would still be a few moments before they would be ready to take orders for a meal.

No worries!

We had plenty of views we wanted to see from this part of the mountain.

This view is from our table at Chac Lan.

Pottery at Monte Coxala, San Juan Cosala, Mexico

Pre-historic sculpture

All throughout the buildings and acreage are copies of pre-historic sculptures from the Olmec, the Maya and the Toltec cultures - all of whom lived in Mexico.

Billy and Akaisha at Monte Coxala, San Juan Cosala, Mexico

Three heads!

Billy, Akaisha and an Olmec head!

 

 

 

 

Chac Lan Restaurant at Monte Coxala, San Juan Cosala, Mexico

The 30-foot high Palapa at Chac Lan

Chac Lan is the Mayan god of rain and was very important in the Maya culture since they relied heavily on rain for their agriculture and survival.

This Palapa restaurant, made of local woods, is often reserved for weddings, social gatherings, baptisms, and anniversaries.

Akaisha looking out at Chapala Lake from Chac Lan Restaurant, Monte Coxala, San Juan Cosala, Mexico

Enjoying the view

Here I am, enjoying the view of the Lake, after Fernando took our lunch order.

Truly, all of the grounds were just beautiful.

Pasta with lemon cream and shrimp at Chac Lan Restaurant, Monte Coxala, San Juan Cosala, Mexico

Pasta with lemon cream and shrimp

 

 

 

 

We were excited to try the items on the menu and the three of us each ordered something different.

This freshly made linguini with lemon cream and shrimp seemed to call out to me, and I was not disappointed.

Sometimes cream sauces on pasta can be bland and non-distinctive.

Such was NOT the case here.

Just enough of everything and not too much of anything.

All was cooked to perfection.

Ravioli in Chac Lan Restaurant at Monte Coxala, San Juan Cosala, Mexico

Ravioli

This dish was spinach-stuffed ravioli in fresh tomato sauce with basil and grated Parmesan cheese.

Our friend left no crumb behind!

Ribeye steak and Ranchero beans, Chac Lan Restaurant, Monte Coxala, San Juan Cosala, Mexico

Ribeye with Ranchero beans

Billy ordered a Ribeye steak with Ranchero beans, grilled chili pepper and sweet onions.

Of course, it was delicious, but being the Chef that he is, he mentioned that the grill needed to have more heat to sear the outside of the meat better.

That's my boy!

Brulee of corn, Chac Lan Restaurant, Monte Coxala, San Juan Cosala, Mexico

Brulee de Elote

We hadn't had dessert in a while and the selections here at Chac Lan were the standard: Apple strudel with vanilla ice cream, something chocolate, Creme Brulee and.... Brulee de Elote!

What was this?

We had never tasted a Brule of Corn before, so we went for it.

Beyond our expectations, the first bite was outstanding.

Moist, creamy, and with the sweet corn kernels, this Brulee had cajeta drizzled on top, and all around it was fresh fruit.

Billy and I shared it - and being as rich as it was, that was plenty.

We enjoyed it so much, we went home and found a recipe so we could make it ourselves!

Our bill for 3 people, Chac Lan Restaurant, Monte Coxala, San Juan Cosala, Mexico

Our bill for the 3 of us

The bill for the three of us came to 915 Pesos, or about $48USD before tip.

Would we recommend the restaurant Chac Lan?

Absolutely!

__________

Chac Lan Restaurant

Rafael Osuna Oriente #300

Fraccionamiento Raquet Club

San Juan Cosala, Jocotepec 45820 Mexico

Tele: 387. 761. 0111     387. 761. 0326   387. 761. 0908

Website: https://en.montecoxala.com/

Email: info@montecoxala.com

 ​ Reservations & Information (045) 33 31 01 00 39

(045) 33 31 01 00 40 01

(387) 76 101 11 01 01

(387) 761 05 99

For directions and a map, Click Here

 

For more information, photos and stories on Chapala, Click Here

For more information, photos and stories on Mexico Click Here  

 

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About the Authors

 
Billy and Akaisha Kaderli are recognized retirement experts and internationally published authors on topics of finance, medical tourism and world travel. With the wealth of information they share on their award winning website RetireEarlyLifestyle.com, they have been helping people achieve their own retirement dreams since 1991. They wrote the popular books, The Adventurer’s Guide to Early Retirement and Your Retirement Dream IS Possible available on their website bookstore or on Amazon.com.

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