Helen,Travelodge has a room at Bridgend Pencoed,it says 15 miles from Cardiff airport,would that be an option? It would mean driving into Cardiff but the room is only £69 for 4th and then cheaper,£29 for the 5th,hope this helps,Tina.

Wales v England rugby - supply and demand unfortunately. Try finding a decently priced room as a solo traveller without being given a shoe box.

I always look for Travelodge or Premier Inn,their rooms are the same price whether there is a single traveller or a couple,downside is they are the same price too.

Thanks Tina - Ill take a look at that

This is the same every time anything big happens in Cardiff - who went for the Take That concert and couldn't get a bed anywhere near? It doesn't hep that the WRU keeps having evening games to suit TV schedules without considering the problems this causes for spectators who don't live in Cardiff. The Cardiff hotelliers are more on the ball than some other places where short peak demands are less common but it is, as said already, supply and demand. To be fair to British hotelliers, the same happens on the continent, especially at the various trade fair events that we don't tend to have in Britain (apart from at the NEC).

One reason for comparitively high prices in Britain is that hotels are rated at standard for VAT - so now 20% - but other countries have a special low rate for hotels. The German hotelliers association has been campagining for a low rate (they are also rated at German standard rate) and produced this map showing how their neighbours change rates http://www.dehoga-bundesverband.de/index.php?eID=tx_cms_showpic&file=uploads%2FRTEmagicP_karte_s5.jpg&width=800&height=600m&bodyTag=%3Cbody%20style%3D%22margin%3A0%3B%20background%3A%23fff%3B%22%3E&wrap=%3Ca%20href%3D%22javascript%3Aclose%28%29%3B%22%3E%20%7C%20%3C%2Fa%3E&md5=7c240fced2baf8345085a210eea5ed59 it's in German but the numbers still stand out - the Belgians and Poles seem to share the biggest difference in rates being 15% less than their standard!

But changing VAT rates won't make any difference to bed shortages at events.

It does get on my nerves the prices in England, it is not cheap to holiday in this country at all. Because we have just been the Caribbean in November we won't be holidaying abroad this year (I could cry!) mainly because we cannot take my son out of school again so cannot afford to go abroad in school holidays. So we have booked a log cabin for a week in Dorset (brother lives there) in August. Cost £850.00 and the only reason we can afford to go, is we are sharing the cost with my Mum and Dad, who are also going. By the way it will be the most basic of log cabins as it is dog friendly and is on a site, and they are always pretty rubbish.

I always use the discounters and usually find a small hotel that will offer a slight reduction for a single traveller, but as Feebee mentioned I usually expect something of shoebox size. I was a bit suprised at high B&B prices when OH and myself had a short hiking holiday in the Yorkshire Dales last year. I have found though over the last few years that prices have increased substantially in many of the hotels I have use throughout the world, destinations that used to offer first class accomodation at reasonable prices now charge premium rates.

Helen,just found one even cheaper,Travelodge sale,Merthyr Tidwell,£29 for 4th February,20 odd miles away from Cardiff.

As we wont be going abroad this year with our baby due in July we were looking for a weekend break somewhere in May/June and the prices anywhere in the UK are outrageous.

Helen

Have a look on Travelodge website,there are some cheap rooms if you play around with locations and/or dates.We been to Longleat,Alton Towers,Manchester and Thorpe Park ,booking 5 rooms for 2 nights and the most we've paid is £250 for any stay.

Despite the massive increase in hotel beds around Cardiff in the last ten years Wales v England will always draw the crowds and being the first game of this years competition and a Friday game means many will make a weekend of the trip so rooms are in high demand - the Village are making back the money they lost in selling the room to you for £52! Fortunately my in laws Cardiff B&B is still free.

The laws of suppy and demand work in Spain too - you try getting a cheap hotel room in Valencia during Las Fallas.

I'm sure Helen T would be interested in hearing more details. Where abouts in cardiff is their B&B?

Fortunately my in laws Cardiff B&B is still free.

I told Helen about a travelodge that was on offer,perhaps she's sorted.

Not yet Oscarben - hubby said both are too far out and the cost of taxi's will be really high as well. Cardiff airport is a good way out of town, and I'm not being nasty, but hubby said he wouldn't stay in Merthyr Tydfil if the room was free - it's an incredibly rough place. When hubby's job took him aound pubs and clubs repairing bandits and juke boxes, no one was allowed to go to Merthyr on their own - they had to go in pairs . Davey - do you say fortunately because your thinking of going there

Hi Helen,I've never been to Merthyr Tydfil,sorry I didn't know it was a rough area,I just looked for Travelodges near Cardiff,I love to get a bargain,I'm thinking of booking one in Manchester for a weekend break in March,friends live there so we can visit them too.

I wouldn't expect you to know Oscarben, and I'm really grateful that you've been rying to help me. I am still searching. We too have stayed in many Travellodges, and have had a few bargains.