Walt Disney Parks and Resorts has broken ground on the site of its first resort in Hawaii, US.

The resort will be located on a 21-acre oceanfront property at the island's Ko Olina Resort & Marina development on the western side of O'ahu.

Scheduled to open in 2011, the resort will include an expansive pool and water play area, an 18,000sq ft spa, a wedding lawn, an 8,000sq ft convention center, a children's club, two themed restaurants, 350 hotel rooms and 480 Disney Vacation Club timeshare villas.

The water park will include family friendly tubes and body slides which will weave through volcanic rockwork and a caldera volcano, while a nearby wading pool gives parents with toddlers a welcoming alternative to the sprawling zero-entry fun pool. There will also be a saltwater snorkel lagoon with exotic fish.

"This Disney destination resort will provide a unique way for families to experience Hawai'i," said Jay Rasulo, chair of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts.

Rasulo added that the resort is being designed to respect and connect with the local culture of the Hawaiian islands.

During the past year, the Walt Disney Imagineering team has been researching Hawaii and working with local architects and cultural experts as part of the resort's creative design process.

To further incorporate Hawaiian traditions, wood, thatch, lava stone and coral will be among the materials represented in the resort's two 15-story guestroom towers, each oriented perpendicular to the ocean in an effort to maximise ocean views from the strategically angled guest rooms.