In 1963, Elizabeth accompanied Richard Burton to Mexico for the filming of John Huston’s big-screen adaptation of Tennessee Williams’ The Night of the Iguana. There, they stayed at Casa Kimberley, a four-story, six-bedroom white stucco villa named after its former owner in the Gringo Gulch section of the quiet fishing village of Puerto Vallarta. They were so taken with the property that they purchased it for $40,000.

Like Chalet Ariel, Casa Kimberley would become a beloved home for the Burtons and their children. “It had a tiled roof, secluded patios, stucco walls, four floors and six bedrooms.” “Thick, voluptuous-looking tropical foliage fenced the courtyard; banana and papaya plants, lemon trees and coconut palms shaded the upstairs terrace.” They would renovate and expand the property, constructing a second villa across the alley for Richard and connecting the two by the Puente Del Amor (Bridge of Love).

The Burtons’ personal touch was evident everywhere. Richard designed a bar that incorporated images of the Catholic saints, and he had a heart-shaped bathtub commissioned for Elizabeth. Something apparently got lost in translation and, instead of a traditional valentine-shaped heart, the bathtub was more or less anatomically correct. It appealed to Elizabeth’s sense of humour, however, and wasn’t changed.

“There is no more delectable place on the face of the earth, but don’t come because you’ll spoil it,” Richard wrote of Puerto Vallarta in a 1971 Vogue article. But the secret was out. Five years after Elizabeth and Richard first arrived in Puerto Vallarta, the town had grown from a population of approximately 1,000 to 25,000, and remains a popular holiday destination to this day.

Elizabeth kept Casa Kimberley until 1990. When she parted with the property, she left behind furniture, art, and other personal possessions, but retained a lifetime of memories. Today, Casa Kimberley is a boutique hotel that continues to pay homage to its storied past.