Opus Hotel

The only hotel in Yaletown, Vancouver’s trendy late-night club-bar-restaurant district, the 96-room Opus Hotel is geared to contemporary colors and comforts.

• The cool, contemporary design of the lobby-lounge and rooms
• The location, location, location in hip-happy Yaletown on a direct subway line from the airport
• The urban amenities, such as free bikes and iPads

If you want to stay in a hip, happening, luxury boutique hotel, try the Opus. It’s the only hotel in Yaletown, the trendiest urban area for shopping, nightlife, and dining. The Canada Line subway from the airport stops directly across the street from the hotel, the False Creek waterfront with water-taxi service to Granville Island is just two blocks away, and all the main sights in Vancouver are within walking distance.

The lobby and adjacent lounge look like a retro-moderne stage set, with sheer hanging fabrics, dramatic lighting and contemporary furniture in bold colors. The rooms, all freshly redone, are available in five different layouts, each with its own colors and style (the glowing room colors are eye candy if you’re tired of tepid hotel interiors). The furnishings are stylish and comfortable. Bathrooms are fitted with high-design sinks, soaker tubs or roomy showers (or both), with L’Occitaine toiletries.

The Opus offers some good urban amenities, such as iPads in every room (you can take it with you around the city), free bikes (a real plus in bike-friendly Vancouver), and pet-friendly rooms.

The cool Opus Bar serves an international tapas menu and on weekends becomes one of Yaletown’s see-and-be-seen scenes. (Be forewarned: This area of Yaletown is “club central”, and can be noisy until the wee hours, so book a Courtyard Room if you don’t want to be disturbed.) Opus’s top-notch restaurant, Elixir serves modern French bistro food.

Upscale urbanites looking for a cool hotel in a trendy neighborhood.