Albania x Montenegro 12 day iternarary

Hey all

My girlfriend and I (couple in our twenties) fly into Tirana on 4 September and out on the 16th, so 12 nights. We're picking up a rental car at the airport and driving the whole loop.

What we're into: beaches, clear water, nature, hiking and good food. Nightlife genuinely isn't a priority for us.

Here's the plan as it stands:

Albania

• Himarë, 3 nights (4-7 Sept): drive straight over the Llogara Pass. Gjipe beach one day, Dhërmi and Palasë the next.
• Shkodër, 2 nights (7-9 Sept): long transfer up from the coast, then the Shala River boat from Koman on the second day.
• Theth, 2 nights (9-11 Sept): Grunas waterfall on arrival, then the Valbona Pass as a day hike out and back.

Montenegro

• Virpazar / Lake Skadar, 1 night (11 Sept): crossing at Muriqan-Sukobin with a stop in Ulcinj old town on the way.
• Pržno, 1 night (12 Sept): boat on Lake Skadar in the morning, then Sveti Stefan and Mogren beach.
• Kotor, 2 nights (13-15 Sept): staying in Dobrota. Plavi Horizonti on Luštica on the way in, city walls late afternoon, then a full day on Lovćen: the 25 serpentines, the alpine coaster, Njegoš mausoleum, and Perast in the afternoon.
• Tirana, 1 night (15 Sept): drive back with a stop in Krujë, one good dinner, then flight back on the 16th.

About 1,350 km of driving in total.

Things I'd like to get reviewed:

1. Is the pacing wrong anywhere? The two days that worry me are the 5.5 hour Himarë to Shkodër transfer, and the day we leave Theth (roughly 5 hours once you add the border and the Ulcinj stop).
2. Valbona Pass as an out-and-back from Theth, rather than the full Koman-Valbonë-Theth crossing. We went this way so we keep the car with us and skip the shuttle logistics. How much are we actually missing by not doing it point to point?
3. Shala River, worth the early start? It means leaving Shkodër around 06:45 to make the boat. Everything online is okay but I'd rather hear from people who've actually done it.
4. We cut Ksamil. Logic was that it's the most developed stretch of the coast, it's about 2.5 hours of extra driving, and we'll get clear water at Gjipe anyway.
5. No Durmitor. It didn't fit without giving up the beach days. Anyone regret skipping it?

And the car, which is the part I know least about:

We need to take an Albanian rental into Montenegro and back, so cross-border authorisation and a green card.

• Which companies do you actually recommend for this? Any to avoid?

• Is an economy car fine for this route? The only rough sections I've found are the last bit of road to Koman and the track towards the Theth Blue Eye, which we'll probably skip.

• Any horror stories with deposits, damage claims or fuel policies I should know about before booking?

Thanks all!

(Yes I did check other iternaries but I'd still value others their opinion)