JUMP THE SHARK LA LA VERTIGO NORTH LAND AHOY CHATEAU

How to bump into movie stars in LA? By staying at Chateau Marmont (chateaumarmont.com), the legendary hang-out of famous folk in sunglasses. Who? Errol Flynn, James Dean,

Greta Garbo and Clark Gable have checked in over the decades. You probably won’t spot them in 2019, but you might see Leonardo DiCaprio. Doubles for $538. ‘La La Land’ is not up for any Oscars this year. This is only fair, as it was nominated in every category (OK, 14 of them) in 2017 and walked off with six. Any more would be greedy. A tribute to classic musical cinema, it is also very much a Los Angeles film, and its locations are easy to find. Not least if you try the La La Land Tour sold by LA Insider Tours ($535 per group; lainsidertours.com). Universal Studios (universalstudioshollywood.com) offers what it bills, modestly, as “The World Famous Studio Tour” ( from $109). In truth, this is an apt description of an hour-long jaunt that brings you into contact with sets used in the making of the ‘Back to the Future’, ‘Psycho’ and ‘Fast and the Furious’ films. You also meet the robotic shark from Jaws, which can still out-act most of the “stars” of the latter series. One of the joys of California is that famous cinema sites lie all over – not just Hollywood. Bon Voyage (bon-voyage.co.uk) sells a 13-night “California’s Dream Drive” road-trip, which ventures from San Diego (‘Some Like It Hot’, ‘Top Gun’) to San Francisco (‘Bullitt’, ‘Vertigo’, ‘Basic Instinct’) via LA and the coastal curves of Highway One. From £2,495 per person – including flights, hotels and car rental. There is much more to Hollywood and Los Angeles than gawping at a bar where Lindsay Lohan fell over in 2007. There is art, music, food and history. How do you find out what is going on, and where? Perhaps via the relevant tourist boards. Make an online dash to visitwesthollywood.com or discoverlosangeles.com/ hollywood for starters.