Becici Holidays

Becici is a sassy, purpose-built resort on Montenegro’s up-and-coming Adriatic coast. In 1935, it won Europe’s best beach award, though it’s taken 70-odd years for the rest of the world to catch on. Scattered along the seafront are a handful of luxury hotels – when Madonna and Angelina Jolie are in the country, this is where they stay. And it’s just a stone’s throw from the history-steeped streets of Budva.

The soft sand and pebble at Becici Beach unravels for some three kilometres just in front of the town. It’s nearly 100 metres wide in places and during summer the sunloungers come right up to the shoreline. Swimmers find the mirror-clear Adriatic Sea impossible to resist. There’s a pretty comprehensive watersports portfolio, too. And at the far end of the beach is a cocktail bar – the perfect spot for a sundowner.

Becici is well-equipped for holidaymakers. Its bustling Balkan restaurants, souvenir stalls and craft shops line up along the promenade, which runs directly above the beach. Follow it west and you’ll arrive in Rafailovici, a quaint fishing village with top-notch seafood restaurants. A little further on is Sveti Stefan, a chic island of pastel-hued houses joined to the mainland by a slender pink sand beach.

Budva is only a 20-minute walk from Becici. This walled town built by the Venetians in the 15th century ressembles a mini Dubrovnik with a Medieval stone citadel, quaint cobbled lanes, and a smart harbour. After nightfall, it becomes party central, with seafront bars and clubs packed to the rafters.