Sitting in the lounge room for afternoon tea, with the autumn sun pouring through bay windows, I soak in the rarified atmosphere. Ornate chandeliers cascade from the high ceiling and a pianist coaxes music from a grand piano. Our hostess, Elsa, talks proudly about the history of the area, and particularly about Henry E. Huntington, who invested this building with its particular beauty.

I might be in a manor house in the heart of the English countryside, but for the perfect weather and American accents. In fact, this haven of style and elegance is in sunny California, a state known more for the hurly-burly of Venice Beach and the high-octane glitz of Sunset Boulevard than for refinement and, well, class. Here, in The Langham, Huntington Hotel & Spa in Pasadena, I'm seeing a side of California that I never knew existed.

Long favoured as a hideaway for celebrities (and civilians seeking a bit of R&R, like me), the hotel is the ultimate luxurious retreat. Recently upgraded after being taken over by the Langham group, its 380 rooms are elegantly laid out in a symmetrically shaped horseshoe design among nine hectares of beautifully crafted historical gardens.

The San Gabriel Mountains loom magnificently in the distance - and are even more impressive, I'm told, when they're snow-capped during the winter months. I can gaze at them from my room on the exclusive Club level, found on the sixth and seventh floors of the hotel. But it's also the smaller details that catch my attention, like the beautifully appointed bathroom in Italian marble, and the crystal-clear sound system. The Club lounge is my favourite spot in the hotel, a small sanctuary that's always quiet and sun-filled. It's also filled with food - delectable, canapé-sized portions of eggs Benedict, cakes, pastries and more, all artfully arranged on layered glass trays. An impressive and too-tempting sight.

Elsewhere, the hotel is as luxurious as you'd expect, and also boasts some over-the-top extras, like an Olympic-sized swimming pool, a Michelin-rated restaurant, and the best spa facilities in California, according to one magazine. Hardly surprising, then, that celebrities (most recently, Desperate Houseiwves star Marcia Cross) choose the Langham for their weddings, or hole up there with their families (or flings, or entourage) for weeks at a time.

I suspect Marcia Cross - or at least her character, Bree - would also be at home in the suburb of San Marino, where the Langham is located. The concierge suggests that the best way to explore the area is on a bicycle, which I'm a bit apprehensive about, but as soon as I pedal out of the gates, I see what he means. The tree-lined roads are wide and quiet, and the area is so manicured, it feels like a set from The Stepford Wives.

I cycle past rows of magnificent mansions in every style imaginable, such as opulent Spanish villas and manor-style homes, each with an expansive garden perfectly manicured in front. It feels like an enclave of tranquillity, and it's hard to believe we're only 18km from downtown LA - that is, until I cycle past threatening signs warning "armed response on call".

From highbrow haunts ...
After taking full advantage of the hotel's facilities, I venture out to Pasadena city centre. A 22-block haven of historic streets and alleyways, the old town is famous for embodying refined, early Californian style. For more than a century, the town has attracted artists and other bohemian types, and wealthy holidaymakers, who have helped it become a thriving shopping and eating area.

South Lake Avenue is the premier shopping district, and I spend an evening exploring stores we can't find in Australia: H&M, Urban Outfitters, Victoria's Secret, and more. There are also plenty of boutiques and vintage shops for offbeat purchases - and the truly dedicated can explore the Rose Bowl Flea Market, held on the second Sunday of every month. With more than 2500 vendors, it's one of the most famous flea markets in the world - California's answer to Paris's renowned Les Puces (The Fleas).

After an evening of retail therapy, I feel I should sample some more highbrow pursuits with a morning at the Huntington Library. Set in 48 hectares of lush botanical gardens, it houses world famous collections of art and rare books including the Ellesmere manuscript, an early 15th-century copy of Geoffrey Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. No prizes for guessing the library was founded, in 1919, by Henry E. Huntington, the very same railway magnate who made the hotel I'm staying in the last word in luxury. Huntington's influence is felt throughout Pasadena, not least in the many buildings and companies named after him. I could have spent days exploring - it really captured my imagination.

... to Hollywood hangouts
Mooching round Pasadena is all very well, but no visit to California is complete without a little star-spotting. My first starstruck moment comes in the foyer of the Langham, where I spy a tall, familiar figure who looks suspiciously like ... John Cleese! I'd watched him as Basil Fawlty on the plane a few hours earlier, but decide against approaching him in the manner of an over-eager fan.

Instead, I effect nonchalance and set off for the Hollywood Hills and Warner Bros Studios, home to Sex And The City, Friends and numerous blockbuster movies. Our guide, an aspiring film writer and producer, talks nonstop as he guides us round the sets, into studio streets and sound stages. I'm surprised (and a bit disappointed!) that Central Perk, the coffee shop that was home to so many famous scenes in Friends, is no bigger than my living room. It's treated like a museum artefact - we're held back by a red rope in case we're suddenly filled with the urge to loll around on that famous battered sofa.

Next up is lunch at that favourite Hollywood haunt, The Ivy, on Robertson Boulevard. Celebrities often use it as a venue for a "discreet" rendezvous, safe in the knowledge they'll be spotted by industry types inside while the paparazzi camped outside will capture their exit. Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck, we're told, conducted an intimate dinner here straight after their wedding was postponed, to quash rumours of a split.

The restaurant itself is charming - all rustic, French style with a white picket fence bordering its terrace. The food is good but overpriced and oversized - although the food isn't really what you come for; people watching is. Most of the customers are Botoxed and fake tanned to (LA) perfection, and I'm in awe of how much effort these shiny, happy people put into their appearance.

Sated, I decide to head round the corner to Rodeo Drive, home of luxury brands like Chanel, Bvlgari and Dior. It's as glam as I expected - I feel slightly out of place in my shirt-dress and sandals; every other woman is dressed as if they might receive a call to attend a red-carpet event at any moment. I spend the rest of the afternoon drinking coffee and having my nails done while watching the Hollywood world walk by.

After a day in LA, it's bliss to return to the hotel. Hollywood has all the flash and fizz of an $8 cocktail, but Pasadena has the cool refinement of a crisp pinot gris. At the Langham, I've had the chance to sample both - and I know which I prefer.