In honor of Elizabeth Taylor’s passing last month and my good friend Joseph Papa’s new book about her, “Elizabeth Taylor, A Passion for Life,” I thought I’d share a bit of travel trivia.
Casa Kimberly
Taylor first traveled to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico while the future love-of-her-life, Richard Burton, was filming “Night of the Iguana.” (Yes, she was married seven times but Burton was her true love. In fact, she married and divorced him twice.) Burton was married at the time so he had a house on one side of the street and he bought 
Taylor a house across the street called Casa Kimberly, for her 32nd birthday. As the couple was hounded by paparazzi, Burton had a pink bridge built over the street so they could visit each other without being photographed. Before Taylor and Burton arrived Puerto Vallarta was a small port town but once photos of their Mexican romance started appearing back home tourism boomed.
Sadly, Casa Kimberly, which has been open to tours and at one time was a bed and breakfast, is now surrounded by construction and rumored to become condos. It’s still worth exploring that area of Puerto Vallarta, called “Gringo Gulch” for its winding cobblestone streets and incredible views of the Bay of Banderas.
See my post about Puerto Morelos, Mexico where a different type of celebrity hangs out.
