Welcome to star-studded Los Angeles

CELEBRITY writer Ros Reines finds swapping a ballgown for tacky-dacks is the wrong way to turn heads in LA.

hollywood

IT probably wasn't the best outfit to wear to blend in with the stars.

My daggy black tracksuit was only supposed to have seen the early light of the day in LA as I pounded the well manicured pavements of Beverly Hills.

But it was unseasonably hot when we landed and this was the only vaguely summery outfit I had packed. A post-landing, jet-lagged shop at the Beverly Centre was simply not an option.

The tracksuit was suitably sporty for an arrival lunch at the Four Seasons' poolside Cabana restaurant but I really shouldn't have pushed it by hanging around the lobby afterwards to watch some of the biggest names in Hollywood, including Natalie Portman and Colin Firth, departing for the Golden Globes' red carpet.

Security spotted me immediately, and as this glamorous spectacle unfolded around me I had to prove that I really was staying inhouse. An intervention from the fashion police! The indignity of it all.

With that jetlag fogginess closing in again, thanks to that "antoxidant" cocktail I had enjoyed around the pool (only in LA could a Midnight Mojito be classified as healthy because of the acacia berries), I decided to retire to my comfy room upstairs and watch the Golden Globes telecast in bed. Bliss.

Several hours later, I ventured into the lobby again somewhat refreshed and suitably attired for dinner at Culina the Four Seasons' statement restaurant where the regulars have included everyone from the Kardashians to Mel Gibson.
 
I was surprised to discover the chic hotel bar, Windows, filled with locals who seemed to be watching a re-run of the Globes on a large television screen. It felt like the aftermath of a football grand final.

It's not surprising that so many of the stars leave for awards shows from the Four Seasons on Doheny Drive because there is something about this hotel. From the overblown floral displays in all the public areas to the beauty spa, which smells heavenly even when you walk past it it's a glowing showcase for celebrity.

There are also many perks to staying in Beverly Hills when the award season is on. Of course, hotel tariffs are slightly more expensive on the actual award weekend but there are all sorts of deals available to make you feel as important as a Hollywood star.

At the Four Seasons, if you booked a big enough suite, a luxury car is at your disposal. The hotel's Rolls-Royce and Bentley deposit and pick up guests venturing within a certain radius of the hotel. It services West Hollywood rather than Hollywood itself. Call me a snob, if you will, but I loved being dropped off by the town car on Rodeo Drive, though it is a short stroll away.

Should you fancy dinner at the very sceney Chateau Marmont, you will have made it as far as the town car will go on the Hollywood border. The Chateau is particularly difficult to crack at award time, with non-stars shown swiftly to a table in Siberia (the inside dining room). You really want to be seated in the courtyard area.

When I visited on that Golden Globes' weekend it took 40 minutes of hilarious acting as our party of four took it in turns to convince the maitre d' that we needed a table in the courtyard.

We whined, charmed and even tried a touch of the old Mick Dundee-style broad Aussie accent. Unfortunately, when we finally found ourselves at a courtyard table, the place was almost deserted.

A good Saturday morning brunch destination is the Polo Lounge at the Beverly Hills Hotel. It's not only a Hollywood powerbroker's paradise but actors love it. When I was last there, a very low-key Russell Crowe was dining with his back to the main room, but I could not stop staring at the elderly couple in matching white tracksuits who were holding court.

The spritely woman in shiny white PVC had a tiara in her hair.

Other guaranteed celebrity spots include Cecconi's in West Hollywood look for the tree lit up with fairy lights outside and the glint of the paparazzi's cameras as they lie in wait.

Simon Cowell is a regular, as are scores of young actresses. For me, it epitomises old-school Hollywood glamour, with handsome Italian waiters who really care about the food and wine they serve and, best of all, the staff do not give you attitude, particularly if you arrive later for dinner than the normal 8pm rush.

Award season or not, what LA has going for it when it comes to the local restaurant scene is some quirky venues where it is not so much about haute cuisine but encapsulating the latest trends.

Playa is a modern Latino tapas-style restaurant owned by hot chef John Rivera Sedlar. The menu was interesting but what I loved the most was the ultra-modern room and the interesting clientele.

Probably the buzziest hotel of the moment in Hollywood is the W, where there is a party every night around the pool deck. It's hip and increasingly popular among music industry executives and young actors.