Star treatment order of the day at the Hotel Bel-Air

By CHRIS BUSH

Dining at the Hotel Bel-Air restaurant in Los Angeles can make you feel like one of the bears from the Goldilocks children's story: I wonder who's been sitting in my chair?

Film stars, international celebrities and royalty have been regular visitors to the Bel-Air since it opened in 1946 and they still frequent the place.

While eating an exquisite lunch prepared by Gary Clauson, who designs Air New Zealand's business and first-class menu on flights out of Los Angeles, it was easy to drift off and imagine the big-name stars who would have been similarly indulging themselves in this elegant establishment in years gone by. How's the President, Marilyn? Been to Monaco lately, Grace? When's the next album coming out, Frank?

Although staff closely guard the names of stars who are regulars these days - to preserve the discretion and privacy for which this hotel has developed a reputation - they are more forthcoming about celebrities of the past.

Marilyn Monroe often retreated here to escape the glare of publicity. David Niven, Grace Kelly, Gary Cooper, Greta Garbo, Audrey Hepburn, Sophia Loren and Gregory Peck were all guests in the early days. Many of them lived at the hotel for long periods while making movies in the city.

The Kennedy and Rockefeller families often stayed as well, and Howard Hughes was renowned for finalising many of his big-business deals at a corner table in the hotel bar.

With such a history, it is not surprising that the hotel holds such an allure for today's rich and famous.

I tried a bit of star-spotting, surveying the restaurant during our lunch and checking out the grounds later, but failed to see a celebrity. A Joan Collins lookalike at a corner table was as close as we got.

At first glance, the Hotel Bel-Air offers little to indicate it has been consistently ranked as one of the world's top hotels.

A simple entrance wall, a parking bay and a wealth of trees and greenery hide the fact that inside lies a sanctuary of elegance.

It is all understated luxury with style and quality - like a slice of European sophistication near the brash heart of one of the United States' most commercial cities.

The Hotel Bel-Air is within 5ha of grounds just off Sunset Boulevard. It has numerous trees, walkways and gardens - including a herb garden from which Clauson selects for his meals. The hotel's main building, a two-storey stucco complex with mission-style arcades, was built in 1922 by Alfonzo Bell, an oil millionaire turned real-estate mogul.

Architect Burton Schutt bought the land from Bell in the late 1930s and built the large oval pool which still exists. Schutt then sold the estate to hotelier Joseph Drown, who realised its potential and developed the property into the hotel establishment which runs today.

The hotel has only 92 rooms, many of which open to private courtyards. Prices range from $US325 ($650) a night for a single room up to $US2500 ($5000) for the most luxurious suite. Quality has a high price-tag.

But if money is no object you can live here. Until her death in 1997, a wealthy widow, Mrs Chanock, had lived in her own private suite at the hotel for 20 years.

After her death the room was refurbished and is now known as the Chanock Suite, which could be yours for a mere $US2100 ($4200) a night. It has two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a fireplace, patio and jacuzzi in a fountain courtyard.

If staying a night is beyond your means, the restaurant has plenty going for it, although you still need a healthy credit card. One of the features is an exclusive private dining room called Table One which enables diners to view the kitchen in action and see their meal being prepared by the chef.

The six-course dinner menu for this is priced at $US85 ($170) a person and the four-course lunch is $US50 ($100) each. This does not include wine, tax or a tip, which is standard practice in the United States.

Our lunch in the terrace area, which overlooks the hotel gardens, included a rabbit appetiser complete with caviar (this dish is seldom on the menu, so if you want it you have to ask), a spinach, corn and gorgonzola salad as an entree, and for the main we had ahi tuna and foie gras on a jasmine rice cake.

Later we were offered a selection of desserts and I was presented with a chocolate merry-go-round. This had a cheesecake for the carousel base, dark chocolate sticks for the poles, on which the three biscuit-based horses were attached, and a white chocolate roof to cap it off. The dish looked so realistic and was presented so well it seemed cruel to eat it - it felt like pulling apart a child's toy.

The biggest drawback about going to the Hotel Bel-Air is knowing that, for regular people like myself, the experience is a rarity. Money may not be able to buy you happiness, but staying at the Hotel Bel Air is certainly a good way to start.

* Chris Bush flew to Los Angeles on Air New Zealand and was a guest of the Anaheim Orange County Visitor and Convention Bureau.