Puerto Vallarta showcases its appeal to Canadian visitors at YYZ event

A reminder of an often, quarrelsome couple who helped put Puerto Vallarta on the tourism map today awaits those seeking an upscale vacation in the Pacific coast city.

Casa Kimberly, an adults-only boutique hotel, was created from the Puerto Vallarta homes of actors Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor, with Burton having appeared in The Night of the Iguana, filmed in Puerto Vallarta and which placed the city in the international spotlight.

A statue of movie director John Huston can be seen in Puerto Vallarta.

Casa Kimberly still has what locals call The Bridge of Love, which linked the homes of Burton and Taylor, famed for their tempestuous relationship.

“Every time they had a fight they destroyed the bridge and every time they made up they rebuilt it,” Sebastián Arrizon of Puerto Vallarta’s tourism board told a Thursday Toronto event promoting the state of Jalisco.

Jalisco bills itself as the most Mexican state, among other things being the home of tequila and mariachi music.

Arrizon praised Puerto Vallarta — famed for its cobblestone streets — for being in a particularly scenic setting, found between the Pacific Ocean and the Sierra Madre Mountains.

Wintertime visitors can spot humpback whales on whale-watching tours and possibly even from their hotels, he said.

Puerto Vallarta is linked to Guadalajara by a highway and those speaking at the Toronto event suggested people staying in Puerto Vallarta explore Jalisco’s interior.

Among points of interior interest is a town called Tequila, unsurprisingly a major tequila producer.

Those who appreciate that distinctly Mexican alcohol can visit tequila distilleries in parts of Jalisco and ride tequila-themed trains.

Among airlines serving Puerto Vallarta are Aeromexico, Air Transat and Air Canada, all represented at the Toronto event.