From the top of the worn marble stairs, the patio restaurant overlooking Sunset Strip seems unnaturally hushed and dark. But wander down a little closer, then stare into the sea of expensive designer clothes and meticulously streaked blonde hair, and familiar faces begin to appear in the firmament. Is that Lindsay Lohan dining with club impresario Amanda Demme? And isn't that Salma Hayek grabbing a shrimp Caesar with her furniture designer brother, who lives nearby? Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi nibble on the salmon in a corner, while an Olsen twin - Mary-Kate, in fact - is dining with a European couturier's design team, in town to scout for vintage clothing at stores like Decades and The Way We Wore. They're having the pasta; Mary-Kate isn't.

Dotted among the Chateau Marmont regulars, including uber-stylist Rachel Zoe (who often stops by to dine on a plate of steamed asparagus), are hip New Yorkers, moneyed Europeans and a smattering of successful Australians - visitors like Geoffrey Rush and Naomi Watts who call the Chateau their Hollywood "home".


And what a very luxurious home it is. Built on a hill overlooking Los Angeles and its famed Sunset Strip, its Gothic faux-French spirals and turrets evoke a fairytale castle, while its expensively carpeted halls, over-stuffed chairs and spacious bungalows exude class.

Ever since it opened its doors in 1931, the Chateau has been the favoured hangout for stars, starlets, and assorted hangers-on, but, in recent years, it has been rediscovered by a new generation of celebrities.

"I've been coming here for 20 years," notes Bryan Rabin of Rabin Rodgers, LA's top party planning company, which produces events for Dior, Marc Jacobs, Oscar de la Renta and US Vogue, "and I think it's the only place in this town where you could see senior boho types, like Iggy Pop and [director and playwright] Wim Wenders, get respect and reverence from the size-zero girls and the "Entourage" boys of Young Hollywood. It might be the one place in this town where brains and cool actually have some meaning. You'll even see people reading books by the pool."

At this time of year, the height of awards season, it's busier than ever. Some of the most coveted invitations - and most private parties - take place in the Chateau's suites. HBO (usually) gives a Golden Globes party in January that always attracts stars from the likes of The Sopranos, Entourage and Sex And The City, but last year had A-list actors, including Helen Mirren, Jeremy Irons, Forest Whitaker and Sacha Baron Cohen, attending.


During the Oscars, fashion houses such as Missoni and Roland Mouret take suites to dress stars, wining and dining them in the process, and handing over dresses worth thousands of dollars that they may, or may not, wear. Two years ago, when costume designer and stylist Arianne Phillips celebrated her Oscar nomination for Walk The Line, her good friends Madonna and Demi Moore held a lunch for her on the patio. And because Missoni was in close proximity, they managed to get Madonna into their dress. When Chanel has thrown dinners at the Chateau, stars like Cameron Diaz, Rachel Bilson and Dustin Hoffman have shown up.

Here, even the waiters are hot - just as attractive as the paying guests. And who knows? Next year, they may be stars themselves. At the Chateau, anything is possible.