We have had high expectations about the trip - it was our honeymoon and we wanted to book a place with soul and the one giving us some privacy and intimacy. Even though, The Rock and The Lemon Tree was the most pleasant AND amazing surprise.
First of all, the house itself. You can say hosts made an effort to make your stay is as nice and carefree as possible – photos are very reliable, showing exactly how the house looks like. It is very well equipped (from kichen and barbeque equipment, to the hairdryer, iron desk, you name it) and even though it is a renovated place with its own history, it is upgraded to be a modern getaway with an air conditioning, fast internet (Netflix in HD without any issues), TV, dishwasher and many more. Numerous hand-made decorations and equipment shows how much heart and soul was put into this place, which for us was an additional, charming factor. The house itself is located on a hill (no neighbour will see or bother you), very close to Sitia and a main road but outside of the city at the same time. If you cannot decide which view you prefer – a starry night, city lights by night, a sunset or a harbour – you don’t have to, cause it’s all there. We found this place a perfect base to sightsee the eastern and center part of Crete as well as a place to stay in all day and just relax (sun bathing with glass of wine and outstanding view).
The hosts that we had a pleasure to meet are most amazing, friendly, lovely, kind and hospitable people ever! We were extremely happy to meet them. They not only made us feel like home by multiple gestures and help, but were always there to advise what to visit, where to eat, and were very attentive to our comments about our stay. The amount of care and love we have received was simply outstanding and we have never experienced anything like this, despite traveling a lot around the whole Europe.
To sum up – we are delighted with our trip, the place is great if you want the remote location with stunning view and still be able to walk to the lovely small city nearby (with beach of course), however renting a car is strongly recommended, as there is much to see within few kilometers (beaches in Vai, Xerokampos or Itanos; Richtis Gorge; Ajos Nikolaos to name a few).