Station Heemstede-Aerdenhout

Small station with no shops, very basic with just two platforms, not many benches, and no indoor waiting area. It services the Amsterdam-​Haarlem-​Leiden trains, and has regular Intercity and Sprinter service.

Not the greatest train station in The Netherlands. It has some nice shops including a café and a convenience store, but neither are open very late. Buying tickets from the machine is a major issue if you have a foreign credit card. You need one of those chips that Dutch cards have, otherwise your card won’t work. And good luck buying those overpriced train tickets in cash. That’s a lot of cash you need on hand.
The enclosed waiting rooms smell like urine, the open areas get pretty cold, they’re like a wind tunnel. Trains are often delayed here too, because there’s an insane asylum a little ways down the tracks where a lot of people seem to kill themselves, blocking the entire Amsterdam-​Haarlem-​The Hague-​Rotterdam line for hours. At least, when the NS isn’t on strike.
Good things about this train station are the short walk from the drop-​off/​pick-​up area to the platform (makes it easier to catch a train in the last minute), and the ample parking right by the station.

This station is on the line between Haarlem and Leiden and on to The Hague. All trains stop here, so its a very convenient station.
Amsterdam central is just 23 minutes away.
The station has a small shop with drinks, newspapers, snacks etc. Tickets can be purchased here but it is cheeper at the automatic ticket machines.
There is also a florist and a bicycle store and repair service nearby.
Both platforms have an enclosed waiting area.