Just because you might never get a shot at walk down the red carpet or an invitation to the Oscars doesn’t mean you can’t, on occasion, act like a celebrity. Or indulge your silver screen dreams with a stay at one of those California hotels well-known over the years for their celebrity clientele. And even if you don’t spot any famous faces, let’s just say: chances are you’ll feel so special yourself it won’t even matter.

For starters though, find your way to Hollywood. Here’s where you’ll find the best-known accommodations, like Chateau Marmont. Set on Sunset Strip, you’ll likely see a bevy of big names lunching here, just as they have done since this French royal residence-styled hotel opened in the 1930’s. As icing on the cake, head for your private balcony - and watch the lights of Hollywood come on below as you soak up warm Southern California breezes and sip a martini. Stirred? You should be.

Another Sunset Boulevard landmark is the Sunset Tower Hotel, an Art Deco building which also got its start during the decade of the Great Depression. In a former life, penthouse apartments were home to the likes of John Wayne, Marilyn Monroe, Clark Gable and Frank Sinatra. These days, if you’re anyone who knows anyone, the place you’ll be is the Tower Bar, but that aside, the pool is a pretty pleasant place to kick it, too.

Just a boulevard north and right across from Grauman’s Chinese Theatre find the the Hollywood Roosevelt. The birthplace of the famous Oscars, the haunt of luminaries over decades past and currently attracting a high-end clientele thanks to extensive renovations and a pool decorated by artist David Hockney, the Hollywood Roosevelt remains an enduring icon of the Hollywood heyday (with a lively after-hours scene at the associated nightclub, Teddy’s).

Of course, there are far more California hotels to consider in the area besides these hip three, we’re just saying: for a bit of Hollywood glitz, this is where you’ll want to be.