The Montenegro peninsula kept unspoilt by the Cold War

The Luštica Peninsula, once a Yugoslav military base, is slowly starting the gain the attention of discerning travellers

With its medieval fortifications, stone-paved alleys and a Romanesque cathedral, Unesco-listed Kotor is among Montenegro’s top holiday destinations. It sits hidden away, deep inside Kotor Bay, a meandering 17-mile inlet rimmed by soaring limestone mountains. The bay is a spectacular venue for sailing and kayaking, but doesn’t really have any good beaches. For that, you must head to the Luštica peninsula, which separates Kotor Bay from the Adriatic Sea. On Luštica’s remote southern coast are some truly lovely sand-and-pebble coves, frequented only by those in the know. 
Though many remain, there were once some 140,000 olive trees on Luštica, supplying the Venetian Empire with oil. In the 19th century, the Austro-Hungarians built several sturdy fortresses to guard the entrance to Kotor Bay. Then, during the Cold War, Luštica was a Yugoslav military base, meaning access was limited – so tourism was unable to develop. 
In the last decade, however, that’s changed. Two luxury resorts – Luštica Bay on the south coast and Nikki Beach on the north – have opened, but they are quite self-contained and lie near the landward east side, leaving the rest of the peninsula blissfully quiet and unspoilt.
Luštica attracts travellers looking to reconnect with nature and enjoy adventure sports, such as cycling and sea kayaking, while still being near enough to Kotor Bay for sightseeing, good food and nightlife. A fine option is to stay at one of the high-end marina hotels within Kotor Bay, such as the Regent Porto Montenegro in Tivat, One&Only Portonovi or the Lazure Marina & Hotel, and to arrange a private boat charter to explore Luštica’s south coast.
So where are the best beaches? If you’re arriving by car, Tivat is the gateway to Luštica. From here, the first beach you come to on the south coast is Plavi Horizonti in the sheltered Pržna Bay. Backed by pine trees, this 400-metre-long swathe of sand is lapped by shallow water, making it ideal for families – you can wade out for almost 100m and it’s still only knee-deep. With sunbeds and parasols to hire, it is Luštica’s biggest, most accessible and most popular beach. 
West from here, several beaches lie within the Luštica Bay complex, intended for guests at the Chedi Luštica Bay and a newly built village of villas and holiday apartments. Beyond the resort though, in a secluded cove backed by dramatic rocky cliffs with a cave, lies Velja Špilja beach. 
Home to the boho-chic Ramla Beach club, it has loungers, parasols and bean bags, and is overlooked by a bar-restaurant on a raised wooden deck, where bathers indulge in salads, wraps and champagne cocktails. They have kayaks, SUPs and surf-bikes for hire, as well as e-foils (which skim above the water), and stage DJ nights, occasional live concerts and after-dark cinema.
Further west along Luštica’s south coast, you come to Cape Veslo, an expanse of smooth flat rocks, popular for cliff jumping into the deep turquoise sea, and Veslo beach, a tiny pebble cove and the departure point for a four-hour Blue Cave SUP tour with SupKayak. A 45-minute paddle down the coast from Veslo, the Blue Cave is at its most alluring around noon, when it is bathed in iridescent turquoise light – it is quite spacious and the entrance is 3m high and 15m wide, so you can even visit by small boat.
Further west, on the highest point of a small rocky promontory, stands the sturdy 19th-century Austro-Hungarian Azra Fortress. Montenegro Plus runs a four-hour Hidden Fortresses cycling tour, on Giant e-bikes, pedalling for 25 miles over hilly terrain, to visit several of Luštica’s redoubts, including  Azra, as well as an abandoned Yugoslav Navy submarine tunnel. From Azra, you can clearly see Mamula Fortress, built on a tiny islet at the entrance to Kotor Bay. It opened as the luxury Mamula Island Hotel in 2023.
Further along the coast you’ll find Žanjic beach, a gently-curving strip of fine pebbles, overlooked by several cafes and restaurants with sun-beds and umbrellas to hire, and a short walk away lies Mirišta Cove, with a tiny pebble beach and a concrete dock for visiting yachts. Inland from here, in the village of Tići, the family-run Morić Olive Farm offers tours of its organic groves and olive press, followed by tastings and a rustic lunch of homemade bread, local cheeses and cured meats. 
Finally, on Luštica’s western tip, Rose was once the quarantine for boats entering Kotor Bay. Today it’s a sleepy fishing village of 18th-century stone houses, and home to the Alexander Gallery displaying contemporary paintings and installations by local artists. Rose is served by a small passenger boat to Herceg Novi, bringing you back into Kotor Bay.
For those without a hire car, Blue Line buses run from Tivat to Plavi Horizonti beach. From Herceg Novi, the Loro public passenger boat runs twice daily to Rose, while Albatros offers boat excursions to Žanjić beach and the Blue Cave.
Near Žanjić beach, family-run Hotel Art Media has a garden with pines, 12 studios and apartments, a small restaurant, and a waterside deck with sun-beds. 
In Mamula Fortress, on a tiny islet at the mouth of Kotor Bay, the luxury Mamula Island Hotel offers 32 rooms, a holistic spa, three pools and fine dining. 
On a raised terrace overlooking Mirišta cove, family-run Restoran Mirišta serves seafood specialities including grilled octopus, spaghetti with clams, and oven-baked sea bass. In Rose, informal Konoba Adriatic is known for its superb fish platter, served on a leafy waterside terrace with lovely sunsets. 
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