Q: Tracy S. of Santa Fe, Texas writes: My family of four, including 8-year-old twins, plan to visit Oahu, Hawaii. We would like a hotel with amenities, including a kid's club, and the maximum we can spend is $400/night. We are interested in swimming and watersports, nature, visiting interesting sites and shopping. We are most concerned about traveling with the kids on a 8 hour plane trip. What are the "Must See and Do's" on Oah'u?

A - On FTF, we have lots of destination coverage about the island of O'ahu, and you can begin by taking a look at some of it.

Check out our "Hawaii's Island of O'ahu," to read one mom's story about her family's favorite attractions, and "O'ahu, Hawaii" for writer Mimi Slawoff's account of her family's vacation there. These moms think that Diamond Head, an unusual scenic area where there are volcanoes and beaches and hiking trails, and Hanauma Bay, where there's a marine life museum, are must-sees. At both, you can find hiking tours and marked trails that make it easy to explore the area.

Not a natural attraction in any sense, the Pearl Harbor Memorial is actually quite a fascinating and engaging memorial, and one that your kids should be old enough to appreciate. Be sure to pick up brochures or a kids' book about the area so that they can understand how important this event was in US history.  Sea Life Park is also a very fun attraction -- like an educational theme park -- with lots of marine life exhibits; ask the concierge if you can find a coupon for a reduced price admission for the whole family.

Look at "O'ahu, Hawaii Resorts" for a roundup of the island's top family-friendly hotels. Also at FTF's Flee Market (current deals that rotate onto the homepage), you can read about many other current offers at Hawaiian hotels. On FTF, we have a best price booking engine powered by Hotels.com that offers very good rates on hotels; you can search there - www.familytravelforum.com/how/book/index.1.html and get in touch if you have any questions about what's available.

On O'ahu, there are several Outrigger Hotels, many of them with condo style rooms with kitchens, and these are very good value. Not every one has a kids' program on site, but if you stay at any of them, you may enroll the kids in the one at the resort nearest you, so this could be a good option.

Keep in mind that there's a lot to do in the Waikiki resort area of Honolulu, and although the beach there is more crowded than other parts of the island, your kids will love being by the water and watching all the surfers. To conserve your budget, consider waiting a few days to rent a car so that the kids can get their fill of pool time, beach and jet lag recovery in and around your hotel and the nearby attractions. After day 3 or 4, you can rent a car and then spend days touring around the island's many natural attractions and visit other beaches.

As for keeping the kids busy on the plane, don't worry. There are a few 'tips' stories on the FTF site which recommend fun games and things to bring along, if you look in the "How" Travel Tips section. We think if you let them help you in the trip planning, the anticipation will make the flight go by quickly. Have a few surprises in store in your hand luggage, including a print out island map for each of them so they can plot out some of the things you'll be seeing. And don't forget to mention that the Obama family spent their Christmas vacation in O'ahu, the President's former home. They stayed at the Paradise Point Estates in Kailua Bay, so the kids may want to put that on their maps and plan to drive by on your round-the-island sightseeing days.

Please let us know how we can be of more help, and what your plans turn out to be.