I'm just starting to plan a family trip to Waikiki, There will be five adults, one is a grandma, and three children aged 3, 5 and 10. This will mean three rooms. We want to stay near the beach, have a pool at our hotel, have one rooom at least with cooking facilities. It seems that getting an air/hotel package is the best way. I need help with suggestions for what tour companies to contact and suggestions for hotels. We are thinking 3 or 4 star hotels.

Have you considered renting a house or two condos? We rented a house on the north shore of Oahu and my children still say it was one of our best family vacations. It had three bedrooms and would not be large enough for 5 adults plus three children but there are homes that would fit the bill.

Price it both ways, a Pleasant Hawaii package that I checked recenlty came out to $2800 while booking air and hotel and car separately came out to $2200. What time of year is the trip, and for how many nights?

Do you have a price range in mind (per room)? That really helps for us to pick appropriate hotel recommendations. I don't know if we're talking $150, $250, $350/night?

I've seen good deals thru the various airlines. I love Hawaiian Air (for example). Because I travel alone, the packages never work out for me. When my parents booked a family reunion on Maui, they used Pleasant Hawaiian thru AAA and were satisfied.

I also think that renting a house can be great for a family. But if you want hotel rooms, don't rule out a travel agent. We've done this a couple of times with agents that work with Blue Sky tours and been very happy with the packages.

I agree with the condo/house rental suggestion. Our family uses www.vrbo.com for places in Kailua or Lanikai (on the best beaches in Hawaii and 1/2 hour from Waikiki). Good luck.

I talked more with the family today. They do think a three bedroom condo, not at Waikiki Beach but not far from it either would work best for us. What a great suggestion to get a three bedroom place. For two families and a grandmother this would work great. I'll check the vrbo website. Any other suggestions for locating a three bedroom place.

How much time do you plan to spend in Waikiki? O`ahu has many great beaches, so you could look at a lot of places on the island that are farther from Waikiki, and still be on or near the beach.

I see a lot of deals tweeted out by Pleasant Holidays. Not sure about the condo deal, but you might at least get a fly/drive package at a good price.
http://www.pleasantholidays.com/

I like the idea of a one bdrm & a two bdrm condo in the same building or the same vicinity.

Probably less expensive than a 3 bdrm condo as they are hard to find.

Also gives more privacy & allows better use of bathrooms, showers, etc.

Nothing wrong with Waikiki. There is a lot to do there. Plus, you can get out of Waikiki any time you want.

Kailua & North Shore areas are also good choices for condos.

Lots of info:

http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...trip-to-hi.cfm

Having experienced multi-generational family trips both ways, I much prefer separate units to everyone in the same house.
We rented a 4B/3B house for 3 families a few years ago for my husband's birthday. I about went crazy watching cartoons (younger kids) and video games (teens). And everyone's sleeping habits were so different. Never again. We've had a couple of family trips since: one to Maui and one to Palm Springs (just last week!). Both times we had 4 units. It was bliss. Plenty of toilets and televisions.

Barbara, you said it much better than I did.

Dusty, I probably wouldn't have said anything if you hadn't commented first. It IS an important point for those of us who like our privacy and/or are set in our ways. (I plead guilty to both!)