Going to Kamakura - where should I stay?

Planning to go to Kamakura in Nov 2010 with hubby and 2 kids (7-9 years old). Which city is interesting to stay- Fujisawa, Enoshima, Shonan or Kamakura. Need to be close to amenities, like train station and eating places etc What is the recommended hotel - looking at Hotte Club Fujisawa at the moment.

Most people don't stay around Kamakura. That Kamakura is 30 minutes from central Yokohama and an hour from Tokyo with a much wider array of hotels close to amenities.

The Hokke Club is a business hotel chain with the standard, quality business hotel rooms at very reasonable rates.

Thks Uji.
Do you mean that we should only do a one-day trip in Kamakura?

How about Nikko- can a one day trip covers?
How to go from Shinjuku, and the places to cover with easy access by train in Nikko?

We also plan to bring the kids to see the Shizuoka Hobby Fair near Higashi Shizuoka? Any idea how to reach there by JR Tokaido line from Shinjuku (instead of Hikari shinkansen which is expensive)?

From Tokyo, Kamakura is an easy day trip. You can get back to your hotel in Tokyo easily. No need for the hassle to move from one hotel in Tokyo to another in Kamakura or any place nearby.

For Nikko, it depends on what you want to see - if you want to see some of the temples/shrines in central Nikko, and Kegon Falls, then that's also doable in a day trip from Tokyo, though you want to start your day early. If you want to see Okunikko or Kinugawa Onsen, etc., you would need to do that with an overnight stay. You can go via Tobu railway via Asakusa, or, though more expensive, you can take the JR/Tobu combo train direct from Shinjuku to Nikko.
Once IN Nikko, Tobu bus will get you around.


To get to Higashi-Shizuoka station:
http://www.japan-guide.com/forum/quereadisplay.html?0+76438
If you are starting from Shinjuku, you can take the JR Yamanote line to Shinagawa and change to Tokaido line there. OR, take JR Shonan Shinjuku line to Totsuka, then change to Tokaido line (rapid or local).

The Shonan area is a region that actually includes Fujisawa, Enoshima and Kamakura. I agree with the above though that Kamakura is an easy daytrip from Tokyo- we do it often.

For Nikko I recommend staying at least one night- it's further out of Tokyo and the sights are a lot more spread out.