Netherlands

The best place to see tulips, plenty of them, is the Keukenhof, an annual exhibition running from mid-March to early-May (dates vary per year) I don't like Haarlem enough to skip Amsterdam for it. Never understood why RS suggests that all the time. In Amsterdam, the best (IMHO) area for hotels is around Leidsenplein and then along that narrow strip between the Slinge and the Maurituskade all the way to the Joordan. I'd rather avoid hotels in the Damrak ou Nieuwmarket altogether.

Well, you definitely want to make sure that you spend a day at Keukenhof Gardens. It is easy to get to from Amsterdam. If you check their website, they should have info on the date of the flower parade. I stayed at Hotel Estherea a couple of years ago and was pleased with both the location and the hotel; it was a little more expensive than I wanted but I booked on short notice so many hotels were already booked. They upgraded me to a canal view room and it was lovely.

... and once you've seen the world's most impressive tulip garden, head to Kinderdijk to see the largest collection of traditional windmills.

I presume you are aware that Amsterdam is a major tourist destination that many people spend 4-5 days visiting alone .... As long as you like flowers, you should consider a business-day morning trip to the Aalsmeer Flower Auction near Schiphol. It's surprising and enjoyable, and very, very floral, just not close-up to them, since they are in thousands (no exaggeration) of merchandise carts, pulled by tractors in the massive warehouses.

http://www.keukenhof.nl/ is the website you may be looking for.

Obviously, Amsterdam is the big draw, but if you're looking to spend the night in Haarlem, I'll recommend Where Else B&B. It's top rated on tripadvisor, and it's located on a very quiet pedestrian only lane about a 5 minute walk from the station or 10 from the center of town. Excellent lodging! BTW, Haarlem is super easy from Schiphol – take bus number 300 right in front of airport – pay driver 4 Euro. Get off at the center or station stop...about 35 minutes (due to multiple stops...Haarlem is actually very close to Schiphol). Train is about 15 minutes Haarlem to Amsterdam. There is actually a lot to do and see in Haarlem itself for one day, and there's great shopping and many good restaurants. The downside is that shops close at 6 pm (as in much of Europe), which really sucks when you're wanting to shop for fun or to kill some time after dinner.

Thanks to all, your comments are a big help.

I have an opinion on where to stay in Amsterdam. The Flying Pancake B and B. Very friendly, very cozy, very good location, a home away from home. Stayed there last month and loved it.

The flower parade goes through Haarlam in April. Google Haarlam flower parade.

We loved Haarlem. If you go there be sure to see where "The Hiding Place" took place. It would be nice if you saw the movie before hand.

We are also planning to be at Keukenhof in April 2013. The Flower Parade is on the 20th. This is a link to the 2012 route: http://en.bloemencorso-bollenstreek.nl/route/route-noordwijk-haarlem.aspx. It's helpful because it indicates where the parade passes and when. The parade gets to Haarlem late in the day. In fact, it may be dark by then. I'm sure a 2013 schedule will be posted later. Somewhat buried on the Keukenhof site is this page on how to get there: http://www.keukenhof.nl/en/route/. We will be coming from Bruges and I had hoped to find a place to stay right on the parade route, but the smaller hotels and B&Bs are mostly sold out already. So we decided to stay in Leiden and added an extra day to see a bit of it and to avoid the crowds at the gardens on the 20th. The day of the parade is the day that Keukenhof has the most visitors, but it will still be beautiful. The parade itself is definitely worth it. I stumbled on it in the mid-80s when I camped in the area. The tulips were late that year, so the floats were mostly covered with hyacinths. The scent as the parade went by was absolutely intoxicating. I don't know how things are now, but unless you are very close to the gardens or other crowded viewing points, I don't think reserving a spot is possible. You just gather with the other people along the street.

As JB said, if in Haarlem, be sure to see the Ten Boom Museum (Movie, book is called the Hiding Place by Carrie ten Boom) which is only about a block from the main square where the cathedral is located. Look it up on their website as I think they close early, say around 3 o'clock. It is really not what I guess really a museum, it is a house attached to their watch store and was fascinating to see where the family hid Jews during WWII. Highly recommend either reading the book or better yet seeing the movie first if you do go there. Admission is free but suggest you donate to them. We really enjoyed the whole day in Haarlem. If in Amsterdam, we took a canal "cruise" out of Boom Chicago, very reasonable, about 15 euro each and on a small, small boat where we could take our own wine, cheese and had a great one hour ride that was more intimate than the bigger boats. Enjoy Amsterdam. Also be sure to get tickets for Anne Frank house ahead of time to avoid lines.

I stayed in The Hague this summer, much cheaper than Amsterdam. I spent a day i Delft (20-25 minute tram ride) and a day in A'dam. It's only about 10 minutes farther to Schiphol than A'dam.