Kotor, Budva, Sveti Stefan. Every guidebook and every tourist boat knows these three. By 1 pm they're full — boats, crowds, parking three rows deep. If you want quiet, there are five spots along a half-day route where tourist boats don't come. All of them are reachable only by boat. On some, we're still anchored alone in August.
"In seven years I've found places even the local water taxis don't go. Not because they're secret — because they're not worth the trip in groups. Too quiet, nothing to show on camera." — Captain Alexey
1. Plavi Horizont
On the southern side of Luštica, west of the Blue Cave. Plavi Horizont means "blue horizon". This isn't a beach — it's a large open bay facing the Adriatic. The water is deep right at the entrance — we anchor and swim. The seabed is white sand, water in August is 25–26 °C. No restaurants on shore, no crowds. Sometimes two or three sailing yachts at anchor, that's it. The convenient part: it's on the way back from the Blue Cave. If you have an 8-hour charter with the cave, Plavi Horizont fits naturally into the afternoon.
2. Žanjic
Right next to the Blue Cave, but technically a different cove — to the west. Most tourist boats stop at the cave entrance for twenty minutes and move on. They skip Žanjic. Here — a pebble beach at the foot of the cliffs, crystal water 4–6 metres deep, no buildings on shore. One small café-bar over the water, often closed. A good spot for a second swim after the cave. In July, 5–7 yachts at anchor; in September, two or three; in October — silence and an empty beach.
3. Secret beach past Sveti Stefan
South of Sveti Stefan, before reaching Budva. A small pebble beach hidden behind a cape. From land — only a footpath through the rocks that no one uses. From the water you can see a staircase running up to someone's private villa. The beach itself is public, but you can only reach it if you know the spot. We anchor twenty metres off, drop the scooter, and ride to the beach — fifteen minutes. Filmed from above by a drone — nothing special. On the beach itself, in July: five people, not five hundred.
4. Bigova
A fishing village on the Luštica peninsula with a small marina. Fifty families live here, and there's one real fish restaurant — no menu, no sign, just chairs on the dock. We drop anchor in the bay and take the tender ashore. We ask what they caught that day. We order without discussion — what's there, we eat. Usually sea bream, sometimes octopus, sometimes something you haven't tried in Kotor. Bigova is a 1.5-hour lunch stop, not a quick visit. It fits well into the 8-hour "Secluded" route (#4). Pay at the table, prices €30–50 per person with wine.
5. Anchorage on the way back, with a view of Luštica Bay
No official name. Just a cove on the western side of Luštica, between the headland and the entrance to the Bay of Kotor. Good for an hour-long stop before the run back to Tivat. What sets it apart: from anchor you have a direct view of the Luštica Bay marina — modern resort, new buildings, white yachts at the docks. The contrast: you're sitting in a wild cove, looking at a polished resort that goes for €10,000 a night. The water is deep — about six metres. Kids swim in rings off the steward, adults jump straight from the deck.
What else worth knowing
Beyond these five, we offer two more spots on request: Duraševići — a restaurant across from Stradioti with a dock for yachts. A beautiful view of the bay, very calm. Good for dinner around sunset. Rose — on the eastern Luštica shore, near the Adriatic exit. A quiet pebble beach, usually one or two yachts. On the way to the Blue Cave. In low season (May, October) we add spots that aren't reachable in summer because of crowds — for example, Perast empty at 10 am in May. That's a different conversation.
What's not usually written
Not all of these work in any weather. Plavi Horizont is unsafe in a strong westerly wind — it's an open bay. On those days we skip it. In July and August even the "secret" spots get less quiet. Sailing yachts are regulars at Plavi Horizont in high season. If you want real silence — go June or September. And: Bigova is a village, not a tourist brand. If you arrive on a Saturday lunch in August, there may not be a free table. We call ahead from the boat, usually they hold one for us.
How to fit these into a route
All five fit into Route #4 "Secluded Escape" (8 hours, €2,600). On request we build any combination — usually 2–3 spots per day, with lunch and swimming. Some of them can also be added to Route #3 "Luštica Bay" (6 hours, €2,400) — for example, swap Almara Beach Club for Žanjic + Plavi Horizont if you want no music and no cocktails.
