Walt Disney Parks and Resorts has started constructing its first resort in Hawaii.
Features will include a large pool and water play area, an 18,000 square-foot spa, a wedding lawn, an 8,000 square-foot convention centre, children’s club and two restaurants.
The resort, due to open in 2011, will be set on a 21-acre beach location at the Ko Olina Resort & Marina development on the western side of Oahu.
It will include 350 hotel rooms and 480 timeshare villas.
Wood, thatch, lava stone and coral will be among the materials represented in the resort’s two 15-story towers.
Disney claims the design will represent a village “celebrating the Hawaiian customs and traditions that lead to a life filled with joy and in harmony with the natural worldâ€.
At the heart of the resort, an open-air lobby building – dubbed Hale Aloha – will draw its design inspiration from a traditional Hawaiian canoe house.
“This resort will be a place where families can escape to reconnect and create lifelong memories,” said Jay Rasulo, the company’s chairman. “We have kept this vision in mind throughout the design.”
by Phil Davies
