On the trail of Harry and Meghan in celebrity central Montecito

I take a right turn onto Hot Springs Road. A local told me to take the next left, park my car and walk up a hill along an old hiking trail. Harry's place, he assured me, would be on the right. But I've walked for an hour and I can't make out Harry's hideaway from a dotcom billionaire's retreat or Jennifer Aniston's house.

Serious celebs have been living in Montecito since Charlie Chaplin convinced celebrity pals to follow him in 1928 (investing in the Montecito Inn, which still stands today). A century on, locals remain unfazed by the presence of Hollywood heavy-weights, part of what attracts the Oprahs in the first place - supermarkets without selfies. While double-decker buses full of international tourists traverse Beverley Hills and Malibu looking for anyone who ever worked in Hollywood, I'm the only person this morning with no right being here.

Montecito is not so much a town as a cluster of winding roads cut through eucalyptus forest and the pretty foothills of the Santa Ynez mountains. Where four lanes of the Pacific Coast Highway cut through the heart of Malibu and parking starts at US$30, here there's barely any traffic at all and I can park outside the cafe I plan to drink my latte at. There's not even a meter. There are walls of succulents and flower pots of lavender wafting sweetness all along the town's only real commercial street, the Lower Village.

There's a smaller Upper Village, too, but Gwyneth Paltrow shops here and I prefer the view of the ocean from here anyway. This tract of the Californian coast feels completely removed from the rest of southern California and LA; ironic really, considering the roster of Hollywood stars who live here. Once a haven for highway robbers who'd hide in canyons to rob those with money travelling the coast, now it's a haven for those with money looking to hide in canyons.

There's plenty to do here, aside from Harry-spotting. You'll find one of southern California's most stunning stretches of coastline. There are near-secret waves to ride at beaches like Hammonds Point and there's calm water for swimming at dreamy beaches like Butterfly Beach. On it you can watch a fiery sunset, then 12 hours later, catch a sunrise thanks to its odd east-west orientation. And there are 15 hiking trails that take you out past the estates of stars like Ellen DeGeneres, deep into the mountains.

There are few hotel options here, however - especially if you're looking to spend less than US$1000 a night. So I'm basing myself 10 minutes away in Santa Barbara, an easy commute along a coastline dotted with more beaches, and barely a car to pass along the way. My hotel's a block from the ocean but it only costs me US$350 a night. I intend instead to bar-hop Montecito's flashiest hotels. Rosewood Miramar Beach is top of my list. Built on Montecito's most exclusive beach, its big ocean-side suites cost upwards of US$3000 per night. But as I tour the property, I can't help noticing the best spot of all is at the beach bar, where I can see the water. I order a US$10 beer and an US$18 guacamole and chips and watch beautiful people down cocktails under tailored blue-and-white umbrellas. Harry's a regular here, I'm told. He's not here today, but my barman plays polo with him down the road and the guy in the yellow sweater looks vaguely familiar.

Few towns capture that world-famous Californian chic beach vibe quite like Montecito, but I find myself spending more and more time in Santa Barbara. My hotel's not far from the city's Funk Zone, a designated area by the ocean that's full of converted warehouses and buildings covered in graffiti murals housing craft breweries, wine bars and retro surfboard-shapers side-by-side. On a sunny Saturday afternoon, locals gather here in beer gardens shrouded with vines. When I'm done hanging out with them, I walk along the ocean to watch the sun set against those big, beautiful Californian palm trees.

There are other celebrity secrets in the area, too, if you just listen to the locals. I'm advised to drive the same distance west of Santa Barbara that Montecito lies east. There Kirk and Michael Douglas - part-time Santa Barbara and Montecito residents for more than 50 years - bought 30 hectares of wilderness along a bluff high above the ocean to save it from development. I spot a hidden valley below me there, fringed by a white sand beach with a cafe beside it. I find the cafe, Boathouse, and the beach, Arroyo Burro, and take a seat on a sunny patio while surfers bob in the ocean a few metres beyond the breakers. I order the house speciality - house-made snow and rock crab cakes under poached eggs - and soak up the retro kind of ambience here on California's lesser-known celebrity coast. Rob Lowe's at the next table. I, of course, pretend not to notice. It's what you do around here.

GETTING THERE

Delta fly direct daily to LA, see delta.com, then rent a car and drive 90 minutes to Montecito and Santa Barbara

STAYING THERE

La Playa Inn in Santa Barbara is one block from the water, see laplayainn.com, luxuriate on the beach in Montecito, see rosewoodhotels.com/en/miramar-beach-montecito

EATING THERE

Eat at Santa Barbara's most romantic waterfront restaurant, see tomarestaurant.com, guarantee yourself a chance of seeing a movie star, luckys-steakhouse.com, try the crab cakes at Boathouse, boathousesb.com

PLAYING THERE

Scope out your surroundings on a bike tour, calcoastadventures.com, and a boat tour (at sunset, preferably), sbsail.com

MORE

santabarbaraca.com, visitcalifornia.com

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