It presents itself as a “sparkling boutique resort for the privileged and the discerning”.

But after Dominic Raab admitted to being “caught off guard” by the Taliban rampage, the luxury hotel in Crete where he apparently stayed last week may want to rethink the last word of his bragging rights.

Mr Raab was spotted at the five-star Amirandes hotel on Sunday, just before returning to Britain to help deal with what has been described as the biggest foreign policy disaster since Suez.

The Foreign Minister admitted yesterday that he would not have left the United Kingdom if he had known what would happen in Afghanistan.

But he insisted he had not spent “all day lounging on the beach” as militants stormed Kabul.

He said he attended a series of meetings from his hotel and only went out to see his family “occasionally”.

L’Amirandes, which is located on its own private beach, says it has “a first-class dining scene and one of the largest swimming pools you’ll ever see” – and is said to be “inspired by the palaces of the Minoan kings” .

L’Amirandes is located on its own private beach in Crete

The hotel claims to have “a first class dining scene and one of the largest swimming pools you have ever seen”

Mr Raab told Sky News he returned “as soon as the situation deteriorated and demanded it”, adding: “Everyone was taken aback by the pace and scale of the take control of the Taliban “.

The Mail revealed yesterday that it did not catch a return flight until late Sunday, arriving at Gatwick “looking stressed” at 1:40 am on Monday.