Puerto Vallarta Travel Tips From Love Affairs to Jungle Treks Andy Gilpin - Mirror
go to original December 16, 2021

Aerial view of the Puerto Vallarta skyline (Getty)

Year-round sun is part of the appeal. Great food, tequila, friendly locals, tequila, good hotels, tequila and lively nightlife are some of the others.

Base It on a Love Affair



Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor were fond of this part of Mexico (Getty)

It would be pretty lazy of me to talk about Puerto Vallarta in terms of Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor. So here goes.

While filming the 1964 classic Night of the Iguana in the sleepy fishing village, Welsh actor Burton fell in love with the place.

So much so he bought Liz a beautiful villa called Casa Kimberly directly across the street from his own casita. He built a pink bridge connecting the two properties, ironically dubbed the “bridge of love”, that would serve as a passage to keep their love affair secret.



The love bridge that connected Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor's homes (Alamy)

The couple brought Hollywood glamour to the town, as well as the paparazzi and the ire of the Pope who called their adultery “erotic vagrancy”.

Fast forward 50 years and the old town is still making people fall in love.

Burton brought much more than just glamour to Puerto Vallarta. He was a fundraiser, a patron and a catalyst for what came later – even if some locals remember him just as an angry drunk.

Legend has it that when Taylor and Burton fell out – which was frequently – they demolished the bridge.

It may be a myth, but it’s a good one.

Head Into the Jungle



The countryside around Puerto Vallarta is stunning (Getty)

When we jumped into the back of a brightly painted former army van, our guide Diego was excited to show us “hidden Mexico”.

In a family-owned botanical garden he proudly told how there was everything a man needs in his life – including a “money tree”. Well, the tree that gives dollar bills their distinctive green pigment anyway. In fact, legally, you’re not allowed to grow one in Brazil.

Need a little pep? The jackfruit has been known as nature’s Viagra. Then there’s the blue agave – which is where you get the tequila.

Diego’s tour was hit and miss, with a few tourist-trap gift shops and underwhelming town squares, intertwined with petroglyphs from bygone cultures and a fantastic lunch served in a stream as the water washed against your feet.

But his passion for his country shone through.

A few days later in Jardin Botanico we saw vanilla plantations, off-grid hiking trails, hummingbirds and a large collection of beautiful orchids. And even a chewing gum tree.

Cut a little bark off the chicozapote tree, pop it in your mouth and chew away to get the same consistency as Wrigley’s – albeit without the spearmint.

It was one of the most gob-smacking things I’ve seen. And I’ve been to Rhyl.

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  Learn about Vallarta Botanical Gardens