KAMAKURA Hotel

KAMAKURA Hotel sits in the Onarimachi district, about a six minute walk from Kamakura Station and four minutes from Komachi-dori, which puts the old town's shops and cafes on your doorstep. It is rated as a three-class property and is smaller and a little more characterful than a typical station hotel. Rooms are non-smoking twins in several categories, from standard rooms to superior twins with a balcony and deluxe twins on the top floor with a private terrace, and they come with air conditioning, heating, soundproofing, a refrigerator, a flat-screen television, free bottled water, slippers and a bathroom with a separate bathtub and shower and an electronic bidet. A bar and lounge on the property is a pleasant place for a drink after a day of walking, and the front desk is staffed around the clock.

The terrace rooms are the highlight. On the top floor, deluxe twins open onto a private terrace, a rare luxury in central Kamakura, where you can take morning coffee in the open air or watch the evening settle over the rooftops. Superior twins with balconies give a smaller version of the same idea. These rooms are worth asking about when you book, since categories and views differ and the best ones sell first on weekends and in peak seasons.

The location works well for walkers. The Kamakura City Library is three minutes away, Tsurugaoka Hachimangu is about fifteen minutes on foot along the ceremonial avenue and Yuigahama Beach is around a quarter of an hour in the other direction. Zeniarai Benten is within a fifteen minute reach, which suits anyone planning the ridge walk to the Great Buddha. Kamakura Station is close enough for trains to Kita-Kamakura and the Enoden to Hase and Enoshima. Evening dining is simple, since station-side restaurants and izakaya are close.

Breakfast is a continental spread served in the morning for a modest fee per person, which is useful if you plan an early start but not a reason in itself to book. There is no on-site parking, check-in runs from mid afternoon until midnight, check-out is before eleven and guests must be at least eighteen to check in. The hotel has an elevator and luggage storage, and it is described as wheelchair accessible with possible limitations, so ask in advance if you have specific access needs. Pets are not allowed, though service animals are welcome.

Choose this hotel if you want a small, quiet, central base with a little more style than a business hotel and a bar for a nightcap. It suits couples, first-timers and anyone who values a terrace. It is less suited to drivers, since there is no parking, or to guests who want a pool or a resort-style stay. Book early for the cherry blossom, hydrangea and autumn colour seasons, when Kamakura's central hotels fill quickly.