Oegstgeest and Peak Tulip Time This Year?

Hey just curious do you think the host of the AirBnB as a local would be able to answer some of these questions.

Yes, Jazz+Travels, I'm sure the AirBnB host COULD answer these questions, but my sis was shocked when she asked him a question just before booking, to see that we were charged an additional $5.50 inquiry fee for his answer? We didn't know there was a charge for asking questions of an AirBnB host? When we've stayed at AirBnBs in the past, they've answered our questions for free? We can't afford to pay him $5.50 for every question he answers. We thought it seemed a little strange... Do you think this bike route to the seaside resort town of Katwijk would be doable on a free bike that comes with the AirBnB stay, or do you think it would require a better bike? I don't know what kind of free bikes they have at the AirBnB, or whether a regular bike would work, as it states the bike path is nice and flat? I think it's only about 12 miles to the sea and back, round trip, not going the entire route. I figure if we can find the main canal in Oegstgeest, from our AirBnB, then it's pretty much a straight shot to the sea, and we'd come back the way we came. Not sure whether there are any tulip fields in this area. There are said to be some around the Lisse area. I need to plot that route next, if there is one?

https://www.bikemap.net/en/r/4275574/#/z13/52.1808792,4.4452572/terrain

Oegstgeest is right next to Leiden so there's plenty to see and do in the area and it's a quick train ride to Amsterdam for a day trip if that's of interest. Predicting the exact time of peak blooming is pretty impossible. If the weather between now and April is very warm then they will probably peak early but there should still be plenty of tulips blooming to make it worthwhile all through April and into May. There are many varieties of tulips that bloom at slightly different times.

Oegstgeest is a nice place to live, but not very exciting for visitors. Nearby Leiden - 10 minutes on the bicycle from your B&B - has the largest historical centre in the Netherlands after Amsterdam. Two majestic churches, the Pieterskerk being the most interesting. Lot of canals, of which the Rapenburg is the best. Botanical gardens behind the original university building on the Rapenburg, where the first tulip was planted. Huge market behind the city hall on Saturdays. Being a university city it has a lot of reasonably priced restaurants.
Katwijk has a pleasant low-key beach. Coming from Oegstgeest you'll come through the inland part, Katwijk aan den Rijn, which has a nice historical centre.
Another nice outing for cycling is Warmond, just north of Oegstgeest.
The nearest tulip fields are around Lisse and Hillegom, near the Keukenhof. It is maybe one hour on the bicycle from Oegstgeest. Nicest cycling route is along the mid-17th-century shipping canal Leidsevaart (see Wikipedia for details). Use OpenStreetMap for orientation. Zooming in you get a most detailed map, including cycle paths.
Have fun. And good weather.

Added:
You don't need anything more than a normal no-gear city bicycle. The terrain is totally flat. And the Dutch winds get all the attention because they are the only natural obstacle you notice.

Note that at Keukenhof, as opposed to commercial bulb and flower-growing fields, the flowere beds are maintained and renewed for the duration of the park's ticket sale season.

Great story about AirBnb. But since it's about monetizing a property without regard for the neighbors or the neighborhood, why are you surprised at the attenpt to monetize something else? Read all the fine print, or you may find other fees associated with your stay. What happens if you are five minutes late picking up the key? What triggers extra cleaning fees? Bike cleaning fees?

........ and if you ask the AirBnB host any of Tim's questions, will there be fee to pay for the answers?

Gotta say that that is the first time I have ever heard of a host charging by the question for communication. To me, and maybe only to me, that would be a huge red flag. But if he charges for that I wonder what else he charges for, and I bet his cancellation policy is the most strict. Since your sister has already made the booking I guess that is what you will have, but I wouldn't ask him any more questions.

Leiden is a great little town with a big old windmill, and the whole area all around there is easy and fun.

In Leiden the best place to rent a bicycle is probably Oldenburger at the railway station (city side). They ask for a EUR 50 deposit and possibly also want to see some identification.
In the Netherlands bicycle helmets are only worn by young children and foreigners. I also can't remember having seen them in Belgium and Germany. It gives the totally wrong impression of cycling being something dangerous, best avoided if you care for your life.

Thanks for the great info, TomfromLeiden. We'd like to ride to the beach. Which beach do you think would be the prettiest for us to ride to on our bikes?

Katwijk is a good simple place. Some half hour cycling from Oegstgeest. Noordwijk is somewhat more pretentious. Another quiet place is the Wassenaarse Slag, south of Katwijk. Nice ride through the dunes.

Thanks, Tom! You are such an awesome resource!

Just curious but I'd previously posted some cautions about riding in Amsterdam - when you said you thought it would be "so neat to rent a bike" there - and you'd said, "I'll doubt I could get my sister on a bike, anyway." You've also expressed concern because, "My sister is 14 years older and can't walk far" and that even having to stand for some lengths of time in a queue promises to be difficult for her.

Does she currently ride and if so, how often and how far? I'm concerned about her finding herself some distance from the hotel and unable to make it back either on the bike or on foot. In addition, there's no telling what sort of bikes the B&B might have - they may not fit either of you very well - so it might just be easiest to take a wait-and-see approach versus try to track down answers to some of your questions beforehand? Weather may also be a complication, and you could probably make good use of some local knowledge when you get there.