City guide: Los Angeles

FOR many, Los Angeles invokes images of beaches, Beverly Hills and the endless allure of Hollywood.

But there's so much more to this sun-drenched, smog-choked adult playpen than meets the eye. LA revolves around the entertainment industry, so it is also a city built on dreams. Coffee shops are filled with aspiring script-writers, waiters are actors awaiting their big break and bookshops are filled with people seeking guidance in their search for fame.

The common whinge from this side of the pond is that the city has no centre, no focus, no heart from which all else revolves. Yet, with a little exploring and familiarity, you'll find no end to its diversity and opportunity.

Before you go

After movies, tourism is the second-biggest industry in LA. Before your trip, visit the official visitor information site at www.discoverlosangeles.com.

Planes, trains and automobiles

Thomas Cook Signature (www.tcsignature.com, 0844 879 8015) can tailor holidays to the United States and offer a range of escorted tours as well as four nights at LA's Renaissance Hollywood Hotel & Spa from 689 per person. This includes flights with BA from Glasgow, via Heathrow, and four nights at the hotel on a room-only basis, based on two sharing, departing this month.

Getting around

Driving isn't just the best way to see LA, it is also close to being the only way. Nearly 40 car rental companies serve Los Angeles international airport (LAX), and most have shuttles that pick up and drop off their customers.

The best way to see and be seen, though, has to be from a classic open-top convertible. Cruise the palm-lined Pacific Coast Highway as the sun dips low over the horizon and casts a pink glow over the long stretches of empty beach, before turning off for Sunset Boulevard and the celebrity mansions of Beverly Hills beyond. Sweep through the bright lights of Downtown and then head up Mulholland Drive to take in the twinkling panorama that is LA at night.

Tourist trail

The expansive nature of LA can make it hard to get a sense of where things are. There's Santa Monica, Malibu, Venice, Los Feliz, West Hollywood, Koreatown, Hancock Park, Downtown, Hollywood, Studio City, Pasadena, Sherman Oaks, Silverlake, Echo Park… the neighbourhoods are endless and can seem bewildering.

Obvious attractions – like Universal Studios and the Getty modern art museum – are balanced by more modest areas with a sense of history. The natural charm of the Pacific coast stands in juxtaposition to the skyscrapers of Downtown, while star-packed Beverly Hills and Bel Air provide a contrast to poorer districts dominated by Mexicans, African Americans and Chinese.

Nightlife

At sundown, health freaks make way for party animals as the city's legendary nightlife kicks off. But if your name isn't down you won't be getting in unless your face fits. You might not convince the doormen at Santa Monica's Viceroy Hotel that you're cool enough to get in, but Downtown the equally exclusive Standard is known for being slightly more forgiving.

For a glimpse into how things used to be done in Hollywood, join the lounge lizards at the Dresden Room in Los Feliz, seen in the film Swingers, or the Beauty Bar, on North Cahuenga Boulevard, which serves manicures with its martinis. Once you're looking the part, head to Johnny Depp's old club, the Viper Room, where River Phoenix died from a drug overdose.

Where to stay

The Renaissance Hollywood Hotel & Spa (www.renaissancehollywood.com) plays neighbour to designer shops, world-class restaurants and state-of-the-art entertainment venues, including the Kodak Theatre – home of the annual Academy Awards ceremonies.

When to go

Winds, smog and coastal fog aside, LA remains relatively pleasant for most of the year, with an average of 292 sunny days and temperatures of 19C/66F. It's possible to sunbathe for most of the year, but only the most hardly will venture into the sea during winter months

Where to eat

It may be the home of skinny celebrities and fad diets, but LA has a vibrant restaurant scene, from ultra-sophisticated sushi creations to gutbusting South American fare. Mexican El Cholo has been serving its speciality green corn tamales since 1927, while the Cherokee offers great food in an atmosphere inspired by Japan's sex industry.

Steaks and seafood have kept Santa Monica's Galley popular for seven decades, competing against the Pacific Dining Car, a favourite with literary luminaries from Raymond Chandler to James Ellroy.

What to buy

There is Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills or the more affordable Melrose Avenue, while Opening Ceremony, set in Charlie Chaplin's old dance studio, showcases designers from different countries each season, so with any luck you'll find something that'll make you look like a movie star.

• This article was first published in Scotland on Sunday, March 7, 2010