On the hunt for celebs in Hampton Roads? We’ll tell you the hot spots.

This isn't L.A, and the streets aren't exactly teeming with famous folks. But you can spot celebrities in Hampton Roads if you know where to look.

And remain patient.

Hands down, hotels are the best places for celebrity sightings. And hotels that have bars or restaurants, along with other upscale amenities, are better still.

It makes sense. If Gwen Stefani comes to town, she probably won't fling open the balcony doors of her hotel suite and serenade a crowd below like Evita. But it's not out of the realm of possibility that she'd come down to the hotel bar for a dinner or nightcap.

So where should you look?

We've done some digging and present the region's best places to do celebrity stalking. Just figure out when a celebrity has a local event planned, and then pick your place.

Got your camera phone ready? Let's go....

Renaissance Portsmouth Hotel

425 Water St., Portsmouth

Spotted here: B.B. King, LL Cool J, Chita Rivera, Jerry Seinfeld, Slim Thug

Staying in Portsmouth is a savvy move for an entertainer performing in Norfolk or Virginia Beach. Portsmouth is a low-key, charming place that allows frazzled celebs to unwind without worrying about throngs of camera-wielding autograph-seekers.

Well, in theory, anyway. Legend has it that some parties, like when rapper Slim Thug was in town, become rather raucous.

But not every rapper comes to the Renaissance to party all night. This elegant and spacious inn has an old-school charm to it, as well as a discreet lounge and restaurant on the first floor where a superstar can eat and drink without being noticed - which is what LL Cool J once did.

And the hotel has spacious, sexy suites with water views, perfect for big names like comedian Jerry Seinfeld, bluesman B.B. King and Broadway legend Chita Rivera, who've all stayed here.

The ban on smoking, however, deterred one star. Lil Wayne reportedly remained on his tour bus rather than lodge in the actual hotel.

Norfolk Waterside Marriott

235 E. Main St., Norfolk

Spotted here: Keyshia Cole, John Legend, Sean Paul

Don't expect to find your celebrity crush hanging out here. When stars stay at the Waterside Marriott, they're often in and out - for the most part, anyway.

Reggae singer Sean Paul once held court in the bar on the second floor, but John Legend and Keyshia Cole tended to stay in their rooms.

"They're pretty much humble and quiet," one staffer says of the hotel's famous guests. "We don't really see them. They tend to order room service so they don't have to deal with a whole lot of people."

Aloft Chesapeake Hotel

1454 Crossways Blvd., Chesapeake

Spotted here: Maxwell, R&B group Pretty Ricky

Dizzying and colorful, the lobby lounge of this trendy hotel features modern furnishings, a chic outdoor patio and a screen featuring a 24-hour news crawl.

Rooms are nothing to sneeze at and come equipped with mp3 players and outlets for visitors to plug their laptops into a gigantic flat screen. But it's the fun and funky lobby, with its wxyz bar, that draws guests. Hang out here one night, and you might catch a glimpse of celebrities such as Maxwell and the R&B group Pretty Ricky, not to mention well-known athletes.

While Aloft would not confirm the presence of those luminaries, spokesperson Mira Boykin said, "When A-list celebrities book at Aloft, typically their manager will book their stay under a different name and then call management to let us know when the celeb is arriving. Occasionally, they will come out and take pictures of entrances and exits, request floor plans and layouts of the facility and confirm safety features."

Sounds almost like a presidential visit, huh?

The Westin Virginia Beach Town Center

4535 Commerce St., Virginia Beach

Spotted here: Mary J. Blige, Chris Brown, Gorilla Zoe, Jonas Brothers, Nicki Minaj

"That's one of the new popular establishments when artists come to town," says a public relations representative with an intricate knowledge of the hip-hop and R&B crowd.

Hip-hop stars - including rappers Gorilla Zoe and Nicki Minaj and singers Chris Brown and Mary J. Blige - have stayed here. But the crown jewel of Town Center plays host to celebrities from all worlds, which makes sense considering that the hotel is only a stone's throw away from the Sandler Center for the Performing Arts.

The hotel has hosted Sandler performers such as Natalie Cole (wonder if she was chauffeured that half- block?) and Rick Springfield, who spies say lapped up attention from women in the lobby and spent time with them in the bar.

Given the chain's reputation for excellent accommodations and service, it's no wonder artists' managers and travel people put their clients here. Of course, they do so with the expectation that the stars' privacy will be maintained, which doesn't always work.

Just ask the dozens of screeching girls perched outside when the Jonas Brothers stayed at the hotel before their gig at the Verizon Wireless Virginia Beach Amphitheater.

MacArthur Center

300 Monticello Ave., Norfolk

Spotted here: Chris Brown, Guy Fieri, Flavor Flav, Timbaland, Robin Williams

Conventional wisdom holds that the last place a star would want to hang out in is a mall, but that's not the case.

This is one place outside of a hotel where you might run into someone famous.

Plenty of celebrities - including Timbaland, who's been spotted at a kiosk, and Robin Williams, recently seen in the Apple store - flock here when they're in town.

Some celebs, like Flavor Flav and Chris Brown, might come for an ego boost or a pick-me-up. When Brown hit the mall earlier this year, he bought hats in the store Lids and then roamed around with his entourage and mall security, who helped ward off overzealous fans.

At other times, the rich and famous come to the mall for the same reason we do: to buy stuff. There's nothing terribly glamorous about going to the Verizon store, but that's where celebrity chef Guy Fieri went on a recent visit to the area.

Spotting celebrities in MacArthur is such a non-event that the staff doesn't get worked up about it.

"Most of the time," says Karen Winters, the marketing and sponsorship director, "we don't know they're here. They don't call ahead or anything. They just walk around and do whatever."

Malcolm Venable, (757) 446-2662 malcolm.venable@pilotonline.com