The Airporter bus service runs every 30 minutes; C$12 (£5) single, C$18 (£7.50) return.COMFORTABLE?The decor is sleek and modern, and each room is based on one of five fictional guests - from doctor to movie-maker (you can check out the website to see which style most appeals). Also worth checking out is the French-style brasserie, Elixir.LOCATIONOpus Hotel, 322 Davie Street, Vancouver, BC, Canada. (001 604 642 6787, ). Yaletown, Vancouver's eight-block square heritage preservation zone is within walking distance of the city's waterfront, hip boutiques, art galleries and chic restaurants, such as Brix at 1138 Homer Street.

Slightly further afield, you'll find the well-documented natural attractions of Stanley Park, Grouse and Seymour mountains, and Kitsilano beach.Transport: there's a complimentary private car service that will take you anywhere in the downtown area.Time from international airport: the airport is nine miles south of the city centre, and on a good day a taxi takes about 30 minutes into town - about C$30 (£12). Design-wise, you can see why it appeals to the LA set - vivid colours, interesting art and modern design.As with all designer hotels worth their salt, Opus has a cocktail bar that, as well as providing a drinking hole for guests, is a hot-spot for the city's cool crowd.Situated to one side of the beautiful entrance lobby (crammed with an eclectic mix of contemporary and classic furniture including Philippe Starck bar stools and Arne Jacobsen egg chairs), it's currently the place to see and be seen in town. But the 96-room Opus recently opened its exclusive glass doors in the centre of the rapidly developing and fashionable Yaletown district - the equivalent of SoHo in New York - blowing a well-needed breath of stylised air through the Vancouver hotel scene. Built on the site of an old warehouse, Opus has already welcomed the likes of Jennifer Lopez, Anna Paquin and REM (who stayed there for three months while recording their latest album). For a city that prides itself on its star credentials (it's the third largest movie-making centre in North America), Vancouver has, until recently, lacked the kind of design hotel that style-conscious celebrities love.

A month from today it will start three flights a week from Heathrow to Abu Dhabi.Etihad: . Inspired by the success of Emirates, Dubai's airline, the other Gulf states are bidding to cash in on travel between Europe, the Middle East and Asia. Etihad Airways, based in Abu Dhabi, aims to persuade travellers to forsake Dubai as a stopover point in favour of the adjacent emirate. Columbus says that existing policyholders are covered, if the UAE was not excluded when the policy was taken out.Columbus Travel Insurance: 0845 330 8518; * British travellers have another way to get to the Gulf and beyond this summer. But underwriters for Columbus have decided to withdraw cover for the UAE.According to the Foreign Office, 48,000 British nationals live in the Emirates, and half a million visited in 2002. Columbus Direct has excluded the area, which includes Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah, from its policies. The company says this is as a result of Foreign Office advice.