High life ... hunting for celebrities in Hollywood.Credit: Christina Lease/Lonely Planet
Our black limousine pulls up outside Katsuya - a hip Japanese restaurant in Hollywood.
The paparazzi are waiting.
Our chauffeur gets out of the car and ambles to the passenger side door.
Photographers jostle for position like rugby players in a scrum.
We hop out of the car. There's a moment's silence. Then the penny drops.
"Oh, bugger," exclaims one photographer.
"They're no one," says another.
I smile apologetically - there is not a Jessica Simpson or Paris Hilton amongst us. We are simply a bunch of Australian tourists who have hired a limo to see Hollywood by night.
For three days we have been living like celebrities in the vast and energetic city of Los Angeles in sunny California.
You might think Hollywood would be an expensive place to satisfy your wanderlust, but with air fares and hotel rates cheaper than they used to be, thanks to the global recession, it's surprisingly affordable.
Our temporary nest is the boutique Chamberlain Hotel in leafy West Hollywood.
WeHo, as the locals call it, is a three-kilometre square enclave located in the heart of LA, right between Beverly Hills and Hollywood.
As well as being home to the famous Sunset Strip, it's packed with cutting edge galleries, chic fashion boutiques and elegant hotels.
And when you need a break from the WeHo locals, some of whom are more plastic than organic and air kiss like they have swine flu, you can easily take a trip to downtown LA or visit the beaches that are close by.
But before you leave the refuge of the stars, pop on your oversized sunnies and indulge in some serious celeb-spotting.
Our week long trip - planned with some educational outings in mind, such as visiting the new Grammy Museum in downtown LA - has morphed into an American-style safari.
Spying an A-list celebrity has become the equivalent on the excitement scale to seeing a leopard in Zimbabwe.
Our first evening in WeHo was memorable.
We set off early to Chateau Marmont, the glam hotel on the hill above the Strip that attracts a heady mixture of A-listers, wanna-be actors and tourists.
The castle-like hotel made headlines when comedian John Belushi died in one of its bungalows of a drug overdose in 1982.
Inside the hotel's white walls at Bar Marmont we drank several cocktails and between my Peach Bellini and Strawberry Savage I had my photo taken with Kristin Davis, aka Charlotte from .
There were whispers that George Clooney was on his way over so we lingered at the bar until 2am when we were politely asked to leave.
Unfortunately, the actor didn't materialise.
The next morning we walked the few blocks from our hotel to the House of Blues, also on the Strip, in an attempt to cleanse our souls and replenish our bodies with a gospel brunch.
The venue - home to live music, folk art and southern-inspired cuisine - is an offshoot of the original House of Blues in Massachusetts.
It's not every day you get to sing Praise the Lord, while drinking a Bloody Mary, eating southern fried chicken and sitting near Virgin boss Sir Richard Branson.
The wild brew of alcohol, fried food and billionaires at 11am on a Sunday quickly took its toll and by noon I was back in my spacious hotel suite and spread out across the king-sized bed.
I was thinking of visiting the roof-top pool with its 360 degree vistas over LA but alas, it was dark when I awoke from my slumber and time to eat again.
That night we walked to the sophisticated Sunset Marquis Hotel to dine at its aptly named Restaurant, which is surrounded by lush gardens twinkling with fairy lights.
Still hoping for a George Clooney sighting, the general manager let has us have a peek at the $A9,000 per night presidential villa where the Ocean's Eleven star recently stayed for two months.
The palatial two-storey suite, which comes with a 24-hour butler and use of a Bentley, was so sparkly clean that not even a hair of George's could be found.
Determined to add to our star-spot list, we spent the remainder of the evening undertaking a serious and wide-sweeping bar hop of the area.
First up: The Kress - a four-storey nightclub that is as hot as any in LA right now.
On the roof deck I had a gin and tonic and added a sighting of Brian Baumgartner from the US version of The Office to the list.
Next stop was Johnny Depp's Viper Room on the Strip, where actor River Phoenix died of an overdose in 1993.
There was no one alive and famous in this small bar, but on stage there were four guitar wielding lads wearing tight black jeans, who looked destined to be stars.
Then it was on to the London Hotel to check out Gordon Ramsay's new restaurant, which has become a hot hangout for expat celebs in LA like David Beckham.
The marbled-floor restaurant was rather quiet and no swearing could be heard coming from the kitchen so after a quick twirl around the uber-cool dining room it was on to Sunset Tower Hotel for late night dessert.
This 1929 art deco landmark in WeHo exudes an old Hollywood atmosphere. It's a refreshing change from all the hotels and clubs that are striving to be THE hottest place to be seen in LA.
Inspired by the Hemingway Bar at the Ritz in Paris, Sunset Tower's bar has walnut-panelled walls, a grand piano, fireplaces and a ban on cameras and mobile phones.
Here we ordered apple strudel and chocolate cake and learnt that actor Jennifer Aniston recently dined at the table next to ours.
Ah, like any one who has been on a safari knows - you need to be in the right place at the right time, be patient and put in the hours.
With the old adage in mind - the early bird gets the worm - the next morning we were up early and out for breakfast at Cecconi's on the corner of Melrose Ave and Robertson Blvd in WeHo.
Ceconni's is a popular place with the stars and Victoria Beckham recently held her birthday party here.
Sadly, George Clooney was still nowhere to be found, but I did enjoy my brecky of all-white scrambled eggs.
Yolks are so uncool in LA these days.
Also very uncool was our limo waiting right outside the front door to whisk us away to our next destination.
While one shouldn't be ungrateful for travelling in such style it was beginning to prick the curiosity of passers-by and our emergence from the restaurant was sure to disappoint.
We made a quick call to the driver to request he wait for us around the corner.
Once given the all clear, in true celeb style we put on our sunnies, made a bee-line for the door and then dashed into the side alley.
In peace, we hopped in to our limo and set off.
IF YOU GO
V Australia, Australia's new international airline, has direct flights from Sydney and Brisbane to Los Angeles.
Melbourne to LA services commence on September 15.
The carrier offers a three class cabin - international business class, international premium economy and international economy.
Return economy fares start from around $1,145 plus taxes.
For more information
Visit: www.visitwesthollywood.com; www.discoverlosangeles.com
Chamberlain West Hollywood: Rooms for two start at around $A217 per night. Visit: www.chamberlainwesthollywood.com
The writer was a guest of California Tourism and V Australia.
AAP
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