The quiet, east coast outpost of Khor Fakkan is off the beaten track for most visitors, but that is set to change with an AED 420 million mountainside villa resort, reported The National, adding that the Chedi Khor Fakkan, which has taken five years to build and will open in 2015, is the international luxury hotel chain’s second Middle East property after the one in Muscat, Oman.

Situated in Sharjah and embedded between Fujairah and Dibba, the new resort is expected to change the fortunes of Khor Fakkan’s 50,000 residents and signal a boom for the town.

The development of the Chedi will coincide with other new facilities along the town’s corniche, including a watersports centre, cycling and running tracks, changing areas for beach visitors and other recreational facilities, added The National.