Njivice

Njivice is the last settlement on the Montenegrin side of the Adriatic coast road before the Croatian border, about 8 km west of Herceg Novi at the outer mouth of the Bay of Kotor. The border crossing at Debeli Brijeg is minutes away.

A series of small pebble and rock coves rather than one long beach, some with concrete platforms, backed by pine and mimosa. They are among the cleanest on this stretch, since the open sea rather than the inner bay flushes them.

Yes — it is residential and low-key, with apartments rather than large hotels, and it stays calmer than Herceg Novi even in August. The trade-off is that you need a car or the coastal bus for anything beyond the beach.

About 8 km, or fifteen minutes by road, with buses along the coast through the day. That puts the old town, the Kanli Kula fortress and the Igalo spa within easy reach while keeping you outside the busy strip.

Very. The Debeli Brijeg crossing is a few minutes away, and Dubrovnik is about an hour beyond it outside peak hours. Queues at the border build badly in July and August, so cross early or late.

The Lustica peninsula and the Blue Cave by boat from Herceg Novi, the Savina monastery above Meljine, and the Vrbanj and Orjen slopes behind the coast for walking out of season.