We (couple in our late 20s) are planning a trip to the region in mid-July. Staying at a friend's house in Becici, Montenegro. We were planning on flying into Split (on a Norwegian airline, nonstop from Helsinki), staying there for a day or two and then renting a car and driving into Montenegro. The car isn't actually much of a requirement, but I've heard that while a border crossing out of Croatia by bus is relatively problem-free, going back could be lengthy and problematic. We'll then be going back to Dubrovnik to fly out to Stuttgart on Germanwings. My main question centers around rental cars as I know many companies won't let their vehicles into Montenegro. Avis/Budget seem to be OK with that, but the costs are quite high. Been looking for BCD/AWD/coupon codes but would be nice if anyone actually had one they have already successfully used. Or are there other rental companies I ought to look at?

Also, as an alternative, we could take the bus from Split to Budva/Becici; then make our way to Bar (how?) and take a ferry to Bari, from where Germanwings also flies to STR. Thoughts on this, especially intra-Montenegrin transport?

Additionally, I'm just curious about which beaches won't be chock full of people and what other things we should see, go to (if we do end up having a vehicle) and which elements of the national cuisine would be good to try. Thanks!