Adriatic Beaches

Montenegro

Since its heyday as a destination for the rich, beautiful and famous up to the 1960s, Montenegro has been forgotten by the UK holiday market.

Now independent from Serbia, this tiny country on the beautiful coast of the Adriatic Sea is all set for a serious resurgence.

One of the main attractions of Montenegro is that the country offers some of the finest beaches in the Adriatic. Montenegro's shoreline has everything from secret rocky coves only accessible by boat, to large stretches of wide sandy beach. In fact, from Herceg-Novi in the north to Ulcinj in the south, the country's 200-mile coastline has 117 different beaches. Bounded by the clean, crystal clear waters of the Adriatic and with a backdrop of mountains, fields, olive groves and heavily scented pinewoods, this is one of the most appealing corners of the Mediterranean.

Sveti Stefan - a small island connected to the mainland by a narrow isthmus - is being developed into the home of a luxurious hotel by award-winning Asian chain Aman (their first real venture into Europe). The former fishing village with heavily fortified walls originally designed to ward off passing pirates has remained exactly the same since its construction over 500 years ago, and we look forward to seeing the completed renovations in 2010.

For stays in 2009, Aman has also painstakingly restored Villa Milocer, a former royal palace located on its own sandy beach overlooking the island of Sveti Stefan. Several members of the Original Travel have visited Montenegro in the last few years, and know the best beaches, bars, walks and restaurants to recommend.