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Long before Puerto Vallarta became Latin America’s premier LGBTQ+ party destination, this once-sleepy fishing village along Mexico’s Pacific coast was transformed by a scandalous Hollywood love affair that captured worldwide attention in the 1960s.
The passionate, alcohol fueled relationship between Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton not only changed their own lives but permanently altered the destiny of a town that would eventually become a sanctuary for another kind of love story – that of LGBTQ+ party people from North America. Liz Taylor has always been a friend of the gays.
The Night of the Iguana
When director John Huston selected Puerto Vallarta as the filming location for his 1964 adaptation of Tennessee Williams’ “The Night of the Iguana,” he could hardly have predicted the seismic cultural shift his production would trigger. The film itself – a steamy tale of a defrocked priest wrestling with his demons in a tropical Mexican setting – seemed aptly mirrored in the real-life drama unfolding behind the scenes.
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Richard Burton, already a celebrated Shakespearean actor gaining Hollywood prominence, had been cast as the film’s troubled protagonist. Burton arrived in Puerto Vallarta with a complication: his very public, very scandalous affair with Elizabeth Taylor, who was still married to singer Eddie Fisher (whom she had famously “stolen” from actress Debbie Reynolds). The Vatican had publicly condemned their relationship as “erotic vagrancy,” while the U.S. Congress had even debated denying Burton entry into the country for moral turpitude.
Far from the scrutinizing eyes of Hollywood and the international press, Puerto Vallarta offered the couple a paradise of privacy. Taylor wasn’t even in the film, but she followed Burton to the remote Mexican location, establishing what would become their pattern of inseparability despite the worldwide controversy their relationship generated.
The paparazzi, however, weren’t far behind. Images of the world’s most famous couple lounging on Puerto Vallarta’s beaches, dining in local restaurants, and exploring the cobblestone streets of the old town soon filled magazine pages globally. For a world obsessed with their every move, Puerto Vallarta became synonymous with exotic romance and forbidden passion – a reputation that would serve the destination well in later decades when it emerged as a haven for LGBTQ+ travelers seeking their own erotic vagrancy.
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Casa Kimberly
The couple’s connection to Puerto Vallarta could have remained temporary – just another film location in their jet-setting lives – if not for a grand romantic gesture that would permanently tie them to the town. In 1964, for Taylor’s 32nd birthday, Burton purchased a modest villa on the hillside overlooking Banderas Bay. The colonial-style home, known as Casa Kimberly, became their Mexican refuge.
Not content with simple proximity, Burton then purchased the house across the street for himself and – in a move that perfectly symbolized their inability to stay apart despite constant drama – commissioned the construction of a pink bridge connecting the two properties. This “Lover’s Bridge” (Puente del Amor) became both an architectural curiosity and a perfect metaphor for their tumultuous relationship: ornate, public, impossible to ignore, and built to unite two separate worlds.
Casa Kimberly became the epicenter of Puerto Vallarta’s burgeoning celebrity culture. The couple entertained Hollywood royalty like Ava Gardner, John Wayne, and Tennessee Williams himself. The quiet fishing village transformed as luxurious homes began appearing in the hills, upscale restaurants opened to cater to international tastes, and the infrastructure for tourism rapidly developed.
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Interestingly, the property’s design reflected the complexity of Taylor and Burton’s relationship. While connected by the famous bridge, the separate houses allowed for both togetherness and retreat – a necessary arrangement for a couple whose passionate arguments became as legendary as their romance. Local lore is filled with stories of Taylor throwing Burton’s possessions from Casa Kimberly’s balconies during their fights, only for reconciliation to inevitably follow.
Even after their first marriage ended in divorce in 1974 (they would remarry and divorce again within a year), both Taylor and Burton maintained their connections to Puerto Vallarta. The town had become part of their shared mythology, a place where their love had briefly found the privacy and acceptance denied them elsewhere.
From Hollywood Haven to Gay Mecca
What’s perhaps most fascinating about the Taylor-Burton effect on Puerto Vallarta is how it inadvertently laid the groundwork for the town’s later emergence as an LGBTQ+ haven. Tennessee Williams himself – the gay playwright whose work brought the production to Puerto Vallarta – represented an early connection between the town and gay culture. Williams reportedly fell in love with the location during filming and returned frequently.
The town’s reputation for discretion and acceptance, established during the Taylor-Burton years, made it particularly appealing to gay travelers in the 1980s and 90s. The Zona Romántica neighborhood, where Casa Kimberly stands, gradually transformed into the heart of Puerto Vallarta’s gay scene, with rainbow flags eventually flying proudly on streets where Taylor and Burton once strolled.
Casa Kimberly itself has embraced this legacy. After years of private ownership following Taylor’s final departure, the property underwent an extensive renovation and reopened in 2015 as a luxury boutique hotel. Today, visitors can stay in the Elizabeth Taylor Suite, complete with the original heart-shaped pink marble bathtub the actress commissioned. The hotel has become a popular venue for same-sex weddings and commitment ceremonies.
The hotel’s promotional materials now explicitly welcome LGBTQ+ guests, recognizing that Taylor – who later became one of Hollywood’s earliest and most vocal AIDS activists – would approve of her former home becoming a celebration space for all forms of love. The famous bridge that once connected feuding lovers now serves as a backdrop for couples whose relationships would have been forced into hiding during the Taylor-Burton era.
Puerto Vallarta Today
Today’s Puerto Vallarta bears little resemblance to the sleepy village where Burton and Taylor hid from the press. The town has grown into a major tourist destination with high-rise resorts lining the beaches, while the Zona Romántica thrives as Mexico’s most prominent gayborhood, filled with LGBTQ+ bars, clubs, restaurants, and hotels.
Yet the Taylor-Burton legacy remains integral to the town’s identity. Annual film festivals celebrate the connection, walking tours highlight significant locations from their time there, and their names adorn streets, restaurants, and cocktails throughout the city.
Fancy a trip to Mexico’s biggest gay travel destination? We can arrange the perfect itinerary for you, and even book you into Elizabeth Taylor’s former bedroom at Casa Kimberly.
