Exclusive House Tour: Discovering Elizabeth Taylor's Luxurious Homes

It doesn't get much more glamorous than Elizabeth Taylor. An international movie star beloved all around the globe, Elizabeth's remarkable career afforded her the opportunity to live in more stunning homes than she had husbands. And those of you who know the ins and outs of her love life know she had a lot of husbands. Seven, to be exact. No matter where she was in the world or who she was with, Elizabeth had somewhere fantastic to live, including New York, London, Switzerland, Puerto Vallarta, and California. To begin with, Elizabeth Taylor was born in 1932 in Hampstead, London. Her father was an art dealer and her mother, an actress. Both were Americans living abroad and the couple started their family out of a typical English brick house where they lived until 1939 when it became clear that World War II was inevitable. Upon returning to America, Taylor's family found a home in California, a bungalow in the Pacific Palisades. They lived here for two years before moving to Beverly Hills. This second California home was built in 1929, boasting over 6,500 square feet with five bedrooms as well as eight bathrooms. Elizabeth's biographer, Alexander Walker, would describe it as a low building in the Spanish style with pink stucco walls and red roof tiles. It had a huge round arched window facing the road and a dusty front yard with an olive tree in it. Elizabeth would spend her adolescence growing up under this roof, sometimes helping her mother prepare meals in the family kitchen. In 1950, Elizabeth met Hilton Hotel's heir, Conrad Nicky Hilton Jr. and the two were married. Unfortunately, it wasn't meant to last. After living with him in a home his father bought in Florida, followed shortly by his stay at the hotel Bel Air, Taylor separated from Hilton and moved into an apartment in Los Angeles on her own. In 1952, she met English actor Michael Wilding and moved into his London residence for a period of time before the couple headed stateside and bought a house for $75,000 in Beverly Hills. The couple then spent $40,000 renovating the property that wasn't far from Taylor's parents. Elizabeth was living here when she gave birth to her first child, Michael Howard, who was born in 1953. Baby Michael's nursery was painted a muted yellow. There were also floral curtains and a blue blanket to provide the room with a pop of color. In her autobiography, Elizabeth would describe the interior of the home in the following way, One whole wall was built of bark, with fern and orchids growing up the bark, and the bar was made of stone. You really couldn't distinguish between the outside and inside. And all the colors I loved, off-white, white, natural wood, stone, beigey marble, it was the most beautiful house I've ever seen. In 1954, the couple bought a second Beverly Hills home, situated on two acres of land with six bedrooms, seven bathrooms, and a total of just under 7,800 square feet of space. At the time of the purchase, this was a modern home, featuring gadgets like an intercom, automated doors, light dimmers, automated curtains, and a giant movie screen. Unfortunately, the couple's marriage ended soon after, as Elizabeth left one Michael for another, marrying film producer Mike Todd in 1957. The new couple moved into a white stucco Beverly Hills mansion, fashioned in a Mediterranean style, with 4,000 square feet of space, six bedrooms, and five bathrooms. But their happiness was short-lived. Mike would die the following year in a plane crash. The period between 1960 and 1980 was a frantic one for Elizabeth. She not only married three different men during this stretch, one of them twice, she also lived in numerous homes. Too many to count. So, I'll just tell you about a couple of the most interesting ones, starting with their home in Gstaad, Switzerland. In 1962, Richard Burton arrived in the sleepy fishing village of Puerto Vallarta to star in The Night of the Iguana. This town would become the very spot where he built a monument to his love for Elizabeth Taylor. The estate was originally constructed out of two side-by-side homes that were owned by the star-crossed couple. The duo had begun their love affair shortly before and Burton bought these two homes overlooking Menderes Bay in 1964 for Elizabeth's 32nd birthday, gifting one of them to her while keeping the other for himself. He then paid for the construction of an overpass connecting the homes that's gone by two different names over the years – Lover's Bridge and Reconciliation Bridge – mostly because these two spent just as much time fighting as they did in one another's arms. The couple would famously divorce in 1974, only to get remarried the following year. But when they split for good in 1976, Elizabeth held onto this home, only to sell it in 1990 following Burton's passing in the mid-80s. The property then sat empty for many years, until 2010 when it was brought back to life and reimagined as a nine-suite resort with a spa, pool, open-air dining and tequila bar. Now known as Casa Kimberly, some of Elizabeth's original decor still remains, including the pink marble heart-shaped tub she commissioned, as well as the home's original swimming pool and the still-functioning bridge. These nine Regal Suites have all been individually designed and dressed with antiques, crystal chandeliers, hand-painted tiles, and exquisite en-suite bathrooms. There are also spacious patios offering jacuzzis and plunge pools. Not to mention the Iguana, a first-class restaurant with a contemporary Mexican menu. At the time of her death in 2011, Elizabeth Taylor only owned two properties, one of which was located in Palm Springs. Originally built in 2001, Elizabeth would purchase this home three years later for $1.4 million. She then enlisted her close personal friend Kathy Ireland to design the interior. Nicknamed Casa Elizabeth, this mansion boasted four bedrooms and five bathrooms spread across 4,200 square feet of space on a single-level dwelling that opened out back to the pool area with scenic views of the San Jacinto Mountain. Today, this low-resting structure sits in over half an acre of gated land in Old Las Palmas neighborhood. Inside highlights include an entryway that flows directly into an open-concept great room centered around a living area with fireplace. Elsewhere in the home are two private suites, each of which comes with their own spa-inspired bathroom decked out with dual vanities, soaking tubs, and walk-in showers. Floor-to-ceiling glass doors lead to a covered terrace outside that's primed and ready for some al fresco entertaining thanks to its barbecue, fridge, sink, and a seated bar. Palm tree-laced grounds also show a waterfall-fed pool flanked by a sun deck and an open air cavana. As much as this spot might sound like paradise, Elizabeth didn't spend a lot of her time at this vacation home. Instead, she chose to spend her final years living out of Bel Air. Elizabeth Taylor's home, located on Neim Road in Bel Air, was the very last residence she'd ever live in. This six-bedroom estate was formerly the home of Nancy Sinatra until Taylor bought it from her in 1981 for $2 million. Situated on 1.27 acres, this 7,100-square-foot mansion was fashioned after a 1960s ranch with six bedrooms and six bathrooms. One of the areas they worked hardest on was a trophy room, where Taylor kept many awards she won over her decades in showbiz. The chairs in this room were all upholstered in linen, while family photos and a wealth of humanitarian awards were on display. Over in the living room, more linen dressed the chairs, mohair velvet blanketed the sofas, flowers were lovingly arranged throughout. As for her bedroom, the space was originally blanketed in hundreds of yards of white fabric, printed with purple and yellow flowers. But closer to her death, it was redesigned in a light blue shade. Elizabeth's dressing rooms were connected to the suite and featured big cupboards to make room for all of her outfits. She also took a lot of pride in her garden and always wanted more colour. Building massive planters about 16 feet long to use for pansies coloured everything from black-violet to a charming multi-shade yellow. One of her favourite things to do was throw Easter egg hunts out here every year. She also had a special spot in the garden where she'd set up a petting zoo for the children or surprise her guests by booking acrobatic acts to perform outdoors. No wonder Elizabeth Taylor spent her final years living here. Not only did she finally get to settle down after a lifetime of moving every few years, she got to experience some of the happiest times of her life, watching her children and grandchildren grow up until her passing in 2011. Alright folks, thank you for joining me on today's tour. Before you head out, considering answering the following question. How many marriages is too many? Well, let me know if you'd be willing to say I do as many times as Elizabeth did in the comments down below. Otherwise, like, subscribe and turn on your notifications to make sure you never miss an episode. My name's Kara the Vampire Slayer. Follow me on Instagram to chat and I'll see you all in another video. Bye!