Boris and Carrie Johnson enjoyed a mini-moon at a “soothing energies” mountain villa where guests dine on bear while officials predicted the worst recession since the 1990s.
The lame duck Prime Minister returned last night after four nights at Vila Planinka in Slovenia, which urges guests to ditch their phones and laptops in rooms costing £242 to £542 a night.
While they were away, the Bank of England forecast inflation would hit 13% this year, while the economy will shrink for five quarters and could dive by 2.1%.
But Boris Johnson found time to boast he’d had an “absolutely wonderful time” on his “honeymoon in peace and quiet”.
Speaking outside his hotel with his hair ruffled and two top buttons undone, he said: “We’ve climbed every available mountain, we’ve jumped in the lakes, we’ve been on bicycles.
“We’ve seen incredible things, huge caves and salamanders!”
He added Slovenia was “the only country that actually has love in the title”.
Labour and Lib Dem politicians blasted the PM - who has only a month left in office - for taking his break despite calls for an emergency budget or even to recall Parliament.
Five-star hotel owner Katja Batagelj told the Mirror the pair arrived on Wednesday afternoon and left on Sunday after four nights in a “very simple room”.
She said they did “lots of cycling, hiking, they were really active” and Mr Johnson “really liked” the Michelin-guide food, which includes bear prosciutto, pickled quail eggs and foie gras terrine.
They also visited Postojna Cave, where tourists take a two-mile train ride to view vast lit-up caverns.
Chancellor Nadhim Zahawi, who was also on holiday, last week insisted he had “calls and briefings every day”.
But the Johnsons’ valley getaway bills itself as a “place where time slows down”, with no wi-fi or electronic devices in the rooms.
It promises to draw on “four energy points”, discovered centuries ago by locals near the hotel, to create a “soothing and therapeutic” effect.
“Here, you will feel a natural energy paired with the power of centuries-old forests and clear streams, all of which will have a beneficial effect on your well-being,” the website says.
“You will slow down, harmonising your rhythm with your inner balance.”
Ms Batagelj, who has run the hotel for four years, told the Mirror: “It is a boutique hotel where people come to recharge, so no electronic devices - people should come here to rest and unpack themselves from everyday worries.”
The cheapest of the hotel’s 23 rooms - which are fitted out in wood and other natural materials and promise “breathtaking” mountain views - is a £242-a-night “superior room”.
The most luxurious “corner deluxe apartment” includes a wraparound balcony with views of the valley, a telescope, and its own kitchenette.
Ms Batagelj said the couple, who it’s thought travelled without their two young children, were “very ordinary guests, excellent guests”.
She said: “Our staff are really professional so they didn’t speak with them about anything personal.”
She added: “Mr and Mrs Johnson were very simple so we just tried to make their space really comfortable without media. That was the biggest challenge.”
No10 failed to say at first if a Tory donor footed the bill, but later a spokesperson insisted Mr Johnson paid out of his own pocket.
Downing Street added: “No taxpayers’ money was used for this private holiday”.
The PM’s spokesman denied he was “out of touch” or “missing in action”, insisting: “He recognises the challenges the public are facing.”
But he rejected calls for an emergency budget or recall of Parliament now, saying it was for the next Prime Minister to decide any help after they take office on September 6.
The spokesman added: “I think the public understand it’s not unusual for the PM or ministers to take some time off during the summer recess.”
The couple took their break after Boris Johnson ’s most die-hard allies flocked to a wedding party with him at a billionaire donor’s estate - weeks before he is forced from office.
The lame duck leader invited his last remaining loyalists to the grounds of 18th-century Daylesford House - owned by Tory mega-donor Lord Bamford.
Ex-Neighbours pop star Holly Valance - who is married to billionaire property tycoon Nick Candy - was also spotted arriving in a Rolls-Royce SUV.
The three-times-wed PM scrapped plans to party at grace-and-favour manor Chequers after they were highlighted by the Mirror after his resignation.
Instead he and Carrie held a lavish bash in the grounds of JCB tycoon Lord Bamford’s Grade I-listed mansion near Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire.
Last week Shadow Treasury Minister Abena Oppong-Asare said: “Families and pensioners are worried sick about how they’ll pay their bills, but the Prime Minister and Chancellor are missing in action.
“The fact they’re on holiday on the day the Bank of England forecasts the longest recession in 30 years speaks volumes about the Tories’ warped priorities.”
