Surfrider Hotel

As soon as the Surfrider Hotel opened in 1901, a non-stop flood of tourists from the mainland poured through its doors. Its most famous guest came in 1920 when the Prince of Wales (who would later become King Edward VIII) gallivanted around the Surfrider Hotel property and reportedly fell in love with the private pier, from which he frequently dove into the ocean. Duke Kahanamoku, the legendary Olympic swimmer and ambassador of the sport of surfing, frequented the hotel's restaurants and private beachfront. The Surfrider became a favorite stomping ground for Kahanamoku’s famed group, dubbed the “Waikiki Beach Boys.”