A groundbreaking ceremony has been held to mark the start of work on the US$300m (£190.2m, €226.7m) Kittitian Hill Resort in St Kitts.

Located on a 400-acre (162-hectare) site to the north of the island, the resort will be developed in two phases and will include a destination spa and an 18-hole golf course.

The spa will offer indigenous treatments and will form the second phase of the scheme and will be operated by Sedona Resorts.

Work on stage two is due to start in November 2012 following the completion of stage one, which will feature the Mango Walk golf course designed by Ian Woosnam.

The first phase will also incorporate 110 boutique hotel cottages, a golf club house, a beach club, a swimming pool and a range of restaurants and bars.

Kittitian Hill managing director Valmiki Kempadoo said: "We are just at the beginning of a journey to make Kittitian Hill into a luxury resort founded on the principles of sustainable development."

St Kitts tourism and international transport minister Ricky Skerritt added: "The commencement of construction on Kittitian Hill is yet another significant step forward in the development of St. Kitts' tourism product."