Rented London Accommodation Options For The 2012 Olympic Games

In 2012 one of the most important sporting events will be coming to London, the Olympic Games will obviously draw huge numbers of people, all interested in experiencing the event in person and soaking up the incredible atmosphere in the capital. One of the most important aspects of any stay in the capital is the organisation of your accommodation; obviously you need the best options to make your time as enjoyable as possible. Firstly it needs to be within a moderately easy commute of main sporting areas, the ability to easily get to different areas of London will be seriously hindered by the sheer quantity of people prepared to use the transport routes. It is also essential to be staying in a relatively central place to really experience the buzz surrounding the event, the majority of central London will be a hive of activity with a great deal going on including markets and street shows. There are a great deal of options available to anyone looking to stay in the capital during the Olympics in 2012 and the venues of the Olympics will be spread over a vast area, so there will be plenty of different places that you can usefully stay.

It will be very busy during the Olympics in the capital so it will have to be a well prepared stay in the capital, and often there are massive price hikes towards the event and you can end up paying vast sums more than you would have done if you booked and paid in advance.

A brief Guide to the Olympic Venues

The majority of the venues for the Olympics are in central areas surrounding the Thames, the main arena is the ‘Olympic Park Stratford’, close to Victoria Park. The venue is currently being built and will house the main Olympic stadium, the aquatics centre, the athlete’s village and the VeloPark (indoor cycle track). Other areas that will host some of the events include Wimbledon which is hosting the Tennis, Wembley which will be showing the football and the Lords cricket stadium will be staging the archery. Also the Millennium Dome (O2 arena) will be housing the gymnastics and possibly the quirkiest choice is the House Guards Parade, the home of the ‘changing of the guards’, which will play host to the beach volleyball tournament. There are a variety of venues in different areas of the country so you can enjoy the Olympics without necessarily travelling to London. Some of these venues include Old Trafford (Manchester), St James’ Park (Newcastle), Hampden Park (Glasgow) and the Millennium Stadium (Cardiff), which will stage the football tournament. There will also be other areas playing host to specialist events, including Eton Dorney (Berkshire) staging the rowing, canoeing and kayaking and also Weymouth will stage the sailing competition at the National Sailing Academy on the south coast of England.

Hotels in London

For people wishing to stay in some good areas during the Olympics, hotels provide some good options. If you are looking to stay near the Olympic Park in east London then hotels such as the ‘Holiday Inn Express Stratford’ should comfortably accommodate your needs, as it is a recently built hotel and well known for its quality. There are various other options available within easy commute of Olympic locations including quality hotels in the docklands and the Canary Wharf areas, some of the options in these areas include the ‘Hilton Docklands’, the ‘City Hotel’, the ‘Travelodge Docklands’ and the ‘Four Seasons Canary Wharf’. Hotels will certainly be expensive during the Olympics but will offer a useful, adaptable alternative then other forms of accommodation.

Rented Accommodation in London

A great way of experiencing the Olympics is to rent an apartment; many people prefer the relaxed nature of living in a designated home with comfortable living space compared to a hotel. It also affords you the adaptability to choose whether you want to go out for meals or enjoy an evening in or entertain friends, generally a more adaptable option. Often rented accommodation is cheaper than a comparable hotel as there is no service associated with the property and so lowers the overall cost of renting. There are some negatives though with the luxury of room service not being available at rented accommodation amongst other services associated with hotel accommodation.

Other Accommodation in London

There is a variety of cheaper accommodation available in London including various hostels, bed and breakfasts and guest houses available. These are situated throughout London and often in useful places to view and be involved in the Olympic Games; some of these include the ‘Piccadilly Backpackers Hotel’, the ‘Jesmond Dene Hotel’ and the ‘Belgravia Hotel’. There are various sites that can be used to find and book accommodation throughout London, some of these include 'hostellondon.com' and 'bedandbreakfasts.co.uk'