The Place
‘I’ll make him an offer he can’t refuse,’ Don Vito Corleone famously said in The Godfather, filmed a few kilometres from the hilltop on which Lemon House is perched. Authentically Sicilian just like Don Vito, but of course without a hint of menace, this boutique B&B offers something special that you won’t be able to pass up lightly.
It is an upscale English-style villa, with only four bedrooms, a whitewashed exterior, a bow window and columned balconies. Inside it is decorated with white and muted tones, giving an impression of extended space. The feeling of airiness continues in the conservatory at the back, overlooking the pool: ceiling-high mullioned windows flood the space with light. Breakfast is served here, and in summer you can sip a cold drink in between dips in the pool, equipped with loungers and umbrellas.
There is a hint of seaside style in the bedrooms, with chic maritime objets d’art and charming bedside lamps. Luxury is stripped of all its frills and rooms are elegant in their simplicity: wooden four-poster beds, intelligently placed lights, pretty flower bouquets. The huge windows and balconies have views over the pool, the garden (filled with Mediterranean and exotic plants) and the rolling countryside. Bathrooms are smart and good-sized, with tiled showers.
Christel Rombouts and her family run Lemon House with professionalism and passion – there are welcome drinks, pool towels and in the summer you can take advantage of the small private beach four kilometres away. In Savoca you have a few genuinely Sicilian options for dinner, and you can go on a Godfather tour to see all the locations where the cult film was set.
More reports would be welcome.