July 2004, Puerto Vallarta

Dear Readers,

Just the names Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton spell romance so the place where their romance flourished--Puerto Vallarta--was a natural destination for our travels this month. We spent four days in the footsteps of this famous couple at this beautiful Pacific coastal destination.

It has been almost half a century since their romance while Burton was in Puerto Vallarta filming The Night of the Iguana, but we found that time hasn't diminished the interest travelers have in these famous lovers.

We toured the set of The Night of the Iguana (photo, above), now an open-air restaurant which overlooks the famous Mismaloya Beach. The set also makes a spectacular spot for weddings and receptions, tucked beneath tall tropical foliage but with unbeatable beach views.

From the set, we traveled to Casa Kimberley, the couple's home in Puerto Vallarta. Today tours are offered of the famous house, which now operates as a bed and breakfast. In the coming days, we'll be bringing you a look at this expansive house which is not just one home but two, connected by a pink bridge inspired by Venice's Bridge of Sighs (photo, left).

As everyone knows, the Taylor and Burton union was not to last but Burton's romantic spirit wasn't diminished; for his next wife, he purchased a hacienda home as a Valentine's present. They named the home Villa Bursus (Bur for Burton and Sus for his wife, Susan). We toured the property, which, along with two other haciendas, today comprises Hacienda San Angel, one of the region's most romantic retreats. We'll soon be bringing you more on this hideaway tucked right in the heart of Puerto Vallarta.

Romance in Puerto Vallarta comes in many other forms as well including fine dining and pampering spas. Along with spectacular meals at restaurants such as Trio and Kaiser Maximilian, we enjoyed spa treatments at the Westin Resort and Quinta Real spas. We also toured a one of a kind facility which offers unique spa treatments and more. Terra Noble (photo, right) sits high above Puerto Vallarta and is the perfect place for a wedding (they recently hosted the wedding of a member of the Saudi royal family) or even an Aztec vow renewal.

Now it's back home and back to the keyboards. We hope the month of July brings the two of you warm memories, wherever you may roam.

Happy travels, Paris and John

Archived blogs