A Place in the Sun’s Craig Rowe appeared frustrated as he helped Jane and James search for a home in the sun on Tuesday’s show, with the couple even changing their budget

Craig Rowe was helping Jane and James find their dream home in Crete on A Place in the Sun (Image: Channel 4)

A Place in the Sun host Craig Rowe had quite a challenge on his hands when a couple said they wanted “a champagne house for a lemonade budget”. An episode of the programme broadcast Yesterday’s episode of the house-hunting programme saw the property on a mission to assist Jane and James in pinning down their dream property in the sunshine.

With £130,000 in their pocket, the couple was determined to lay roots in eastern Crete, a location dear to their hearts. James said: “We had our very first holiday in Crete, we got engaged in Pathos and we came to our honeymoon in Crete.”

The duo was on the lookout for a two-bedroom property within an easy jaunt to the beach. Jane joked they wanted “a champagne house for a lemonade budget.”

But Craig didn’t hesitate to caution them, pointing out that the average price tags in the area hovered around £190,000. Nevertheless, the pair indicated they were ready to make concessions to capture their idyllic spot.

Things kicked off promisingly when they took a shine to a charming two-bedroom stone village house in Limnes. Priced at a modest £119,658, the home quickly became a serious option.

Yet, the mood shifted when they proceeded to the second viewing. House number two was a three-bedroom stone residence in Episkopi, and Craig was hopeful the proximity to the beach would win over the couple.

Jane was immediately put off by the interior of a property, saying: “No it’s too small. I’m not feeling it.” Despite Craig’s invitation to explore inside, Jane decided against it and left, while James proceeded to the terrace, which only reinforced their initial impression.

Craig, taken aback by the couple’s reaction, expressed his surprise, saying they should “draw a line under this a move on”.

“I had halved the time it takes them to get the beach so I had high hopes for this one,” he said. “But they really didn’t like it.”

The third property also failed to impress, leading the couple to increase their budget by £30,000 in hopes of finding something more suitable. With optimism still intact, Craig said: “I’ve got one more chance to impress you, my rather demanding house-hunters.”

Yet, even the final home fell short of expectations, prompting the couple to reconsider their search criteria by the end of the episode. Reflecting on their experience, Jane said: “To be brutally honest, we got ourselves a bit confused. What we thought we wanted, we realised it maybe wasn’t that at all.”

James agreed, adding: “We like quirky, we like different, but as a holiday home we don’t want to come out and do a lot of maintenance work.” New episodes of A Place in the Sun are broadcast each weeknight at 6pm on Channel 4.