Description & Facts: History A statue of Duke Kahanamoku, a local Hawaiian credited with popularizing the sport of surfing The area was a retreat for Hawaiian royalty in the 1800s. Much like the locals and tourists of today, Hawaiian royalty enjoyed surfing at Waikīkī on early forms of longboards.[2] A few small hotels opened in the 1880s. In 1893, Greek-American George Lycurgus leased the guest house of Allen Herbert and renamed it the "Sans Souci" (French for "without care") creating one of the first beach resorts. Later that year Robert Lewis Stevenson stayed at the resort; subsequently it became a popular destination for tourists from the mainland.[3] The area at coordinates 21°15′49″N 157°49′17″W / 21.26361°N 157.82139°W / 21.26361; -157.82139 is still called "Sans Souci Beach".[4] Today, the area is filled with hotels like the Hilton Hawaiian Village, the Halekulani hotel, the Hyatt Regency Waikīkī, the Sheraton Waikīkī, and historic hotels dating back to the early 20th century (such as the Moana Surfrider Hotel and the Royal Hawaiian Hotel. The beach hosts many events a year, including surf competitions, outdoor performances, hula dancing and outrigger canoe races. Over time, Waikīkī beach has had its problems with erosion, leading to the construction of groins and beach replenishment projects. For example, in the 1920s and 1930s sand was imported from Manhattan Beach, California, via ship and barges to Waikīkī.[5] The importing of sand is said to have stopped in the 1970s and