We are being relocated by my husband's company to The Netherlands this summer for a minimum of 2 years. We have an 8 year old son and 4 year old daughter. We can choose where we want to live, but need to be reasonably close (30 min by public transportation) to an international airport. My job is the kids, so I'm trying to make the best decision for us on where to live. My husband will be traveling a lot and will work from home the rest of the time.
I'd like to live somewhere where:
- There are kids playing on the streets;
- Nature around us (forest, or places where kids can safely explore);
- A garden;
- 4 bedrooms (or 3 with a study); and
- detached homes
I feel like where I've found that there are a lot of families and kids playing on the street, the rest of our wants don't exist. I've been mostly looking around Amsterdam, staying within the 30min range of Schiphol. Hilversum looks very attractive, but I don't really see a lot of expats moving there or it being recommended for families. Almere is also attractive, but it seems it's not well-regarded.
I realize that what I read online isn't always a reality for actually being there. Does anyone have recs of good places for us to move? Am I chasing a unicorn? Thanks in advance!