London 2012 : Accomodations

Accommodation

London accommodation during the Games will be overpriced and undersized -- so look around for alternatives.

Hotels

Hotel rooms -- and not particularly good ones -- that are usually advertised for £100 are currently going for £400 over the Olympic period and so the advice is to book early, shop around and check out cheaper alternatives.

Click here for some premium to budget hotel options

More on CNNGo: London's World Heritage sites

Camping

Pop-up campsites are going to mushroom across the capital with the Camping and Caravanning Club, for example, running a serviced, temporary site in Lee Valley, just a 10-minute walk from the Olympic park, with prices ranging from £30 to £45 a night. (www.campingandcaravanningclub.co.uk; 0845 130 7633)

Home rentals

Another option is to take a room in someone’s home. Airbnb recently opened a London office and currently lists some 3,300 properties in the capital. (www.airbnb.co.uk)

Onefinestay, meanwhile, has more than 100 properties still up for grabs for the Games with a two-bedroom Regency flat in Pimlico, for example, which can sleep four people, currently on offer for £349 a night. (www.onefinestay.com; +44 (0)20 7097 8948)

Student halls

Student halls of residence are also a good cheap alternative. Some have already been booked out by official groups, but there are plenty still available.

The Visit London website shows Imperial College, on the west side of London, offering its halls of residence to tourists at £34 a night for a single or £47.50 for a double room -- both have ensuite bathrooms. (www.visitlondon.com)

Hostels

Staying in a hostel might be your idea of hell, but it is definitely a cheap version of hell. Rooms are filling up fast, but the Youth Hostel Association runs hostels across the capital -- including Oxford Street, St Pancras, Earls Court and St Paul's -- and is a good place to start your hostel search. (www.yha.org.uk; +44 800 0191700)

Piccadilly Backpackers, which bills itself as “London’s most central hostel,” is also a good option with a night in a four-bed room currently being advertised for £55 during the Games. (www.piccadillyhotel.net)

Source : edition.cnn.com/TRAVEL/