And the winner is...PALM SPRINGS
IF Oscar hopefuls Colin Firth, Carey Milligan and Dame Helen Mirren strike lucky tonight, I know the ideal spot for them to chill afterwards.
It's only two hours drive from Hollywood - and it's been a place to relax for more than its fair share of Academy Award winners.
Palm Springs was once the playground of Frank Sinatra and his Rat Pack. It's where Greta Garbo wanted to be alone and where Spencer Tracey wooed Katharine Hepburn.
Taste
The story goes that they chose this desert city in the Coachella Valley because movie moguls of yore wouldn't let their actors travel more than two hours from the studios.
Nowadays its a mecca for starstruck holidaymakers wanting to soak up Hollywood's legendary past as well as some California sunshine.
And if, like me, you fancy a taste of the superstar life, this place is certainly Pamperville.
I checked into the Palm Springs Riviera Hotel and Spa in the wonderfully named North Indian Canyon Drive. The 24-acre hotel had recently re-opened after a £35million renovation and draws heavily on its Hollywood heyday, brimming with the memories of frequent visitors such as Marilyn Monroe, Dean Martin and Elvis Presley. This place is so flash the lobby boasts an ultra cool diamante pool table.
My holiday pad was a poolside cabana decked out with vintage art of American pin-ups. And the double-sized sun loungers are ideal for sipping fancy cocktails and gnawing through huge hunks of steak.
I also stayed a night at the gorgeous Viceroy Hotel and Estrella Spa, set in the town's main centre. The incredibly chic boutique hotel and spa dates back to the 1930s Hollywood regency style. But now there are three pools, complete with more cabanas to lounge around in superstar style!
Everywhere in this part of California has the scent of fame and fortune.
The Coachella Valley is home to a string of towns where luxury rules, and Palm Springs is its capital. Here the wealthy retired rub along with celebrities on the golf course, behind a mud pack or at the poolside.
There's a sprinkler in every garden, but more significantly many beauty or "enhancement" parlours in every shopping arcade and resort. Money is king and Botox is queen!
And no wonder. Along the pavement on The Walk of Fame are the names of legends who lived in Palm Springs... Cary Grant, Clark Gable, Marlene Dietrich, Lucille Ball, the list seems endless.
Elvis and Priscilla Presley had their honeymoon here, Marilyn Monroe was discovered working in a local tennis club and Sinatra is buried in the valley near his home.
Soon after arriving I headed for the Casablanca piano bar at Melvyn's restaurant, regarded as the most romantic eating place in Palm Springs with ghosts of long-dead stars in every corner. Within minutes my jetlag had been washed away by a stiff gin and tonic while listening to a pianist belting out Mack the Knife. This is the very bar in which Sinatra got married!
The next day it was off on a short drive up to the base of the Chino Canyon on the north edge of Palm Springs to catch the aerial tramway for a truck and trek tour of the Californian wilderness with Ranger Mike.
During the ten-minute ride I dangled above rocky outcrops and cliffs climbing over 8,500 feet to reach the snow-capped mountain peak of Mount San Jacinto. Hard to believe I was in a desert!
A short woodland trail takes you through giant ferns and redwood trees with breathtaking panoramic views of Palm Springs.
The valley is the historic home of the Agua Caliente Cahuilla Indians which still has 400 members and makes an important contribution to the Palm Springs environment, reminding us of its distant past. Our trucks then took us into the more barren Indian Canyon. Along the way Mike showed me the healing powers of a creosote plant, which only grows 12 inches every 100 years. Blow on it through cupped hands and it magically smells of smoke and it is supposed to relieve congestion!
After a drink and spot of moccasin shopping at the Trading Post, it was back to downtown Palm Springs for the second more tranquil half of my Indian desert experience - taking the waters. This consisted of a four-part steam room and spa treatment using the natural mineral waters from the Indian reserve - a perfect way to relieve the morning's trekking pains.
Neon
That evening I took a horse-drawn carriage to see the homes of some of Palm Springs' most famous former residents, like Liberace.
But the unmissable attraction is the Palm Springs Follies in the historic Plaza Theatre. It's not the theatre that's vintage so much as the entertainers! Forget the silver screen, this is the silver stage.
Long-legged showgirls, aged between 54 and 86 and bathed in red neon dance to show tunes from the 40s to the 60s. Many were hoofers who had appeared in the original movies and gave their all!
It capped a brilliant time in the playground of legends. And if I was presenting an Oscar later tonight I'd be saying: "And the winner for Best Place To Stay is... Palm Springs!"
Getting there
VIRGIN Holidays offers four nights in Palm Springs - two nights B&B at the 4V Viceroy Palm Springs and two nights room only at the 4V Palm Springs Riviera Resort, with car hire included, from £895pp.
Price includes Virgin Atlantic flights from Heathrow to Los Angeles for select departures in April. See www.virginholidays.co.uk or call 0844 557 3859.
For more Palm Springs information see www.visit palmsprings.com
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