Cabo Beach, Ulcinj: The Blue Flag Tree-Shaded Section of Velika Plaža Between Town and Štoj

Montenegro | Ulcinj | South Montenegro

Cabo Beach is one of the twelve Blue Flag-certified sections along Velika Plaža — the 12-kilometre medicinal dark sand strip south of Ulcinj that ranks among the longest beaches in Europe. It sits between Ulcinj city and the village of Štoj, approximately 6 kilometres south of the town centre, in the northern portion of the strip where the family-friendly sections cluster and the beach clubs have invested in the natural shade that the poplar and tamarisk trees provide immediately behind the sand.

Cabo Beach is one of 12 beaches on Long Beach that has been awarded the Blue Flag. It is located between the city of Ulcinj and the village Štoj. The beach offers a nice atmosphere with lots of trees, but tends to get very crowded. It has a large restaurant with friendly and helpful staff. Free parking is available with shaded options. Sunbeds cost €15 per bed. Swing-beds (baldachins) are available at €25 to €35 per set and should be reserved one day in advance due to their popularity.

The swing-beds — suspended platform beds with a canopy, rocked gently by the sea breeze — are the specific amenity that distinguishes Cabo from the majority of Velika Plaža’s sections. Standard sunbeds are common across all 25+ named sections; the swing-bed baldachins are the premium provision that visitor accounts consistently photograph and describe as the element that gives Cabo its visual identity within the strip.

Getting There: 6km South of Ulcinj by Car, €1.50 Kombi Bus, or by Bicycle

From Ulcinj town centre, Cabo Beach is approximately 6 kilometres south along the road to Velika Plaža and Ada Bojana — a 10 to 15-minute drive, or the €1.50 kombi minibus from the town market. The beach sits in the mid-northern section of Velika Plaža, between Ulcinj and the village of Štoj, accessible by the standard beach access road that runs behind the beach clubs.

Free parking is available directly behind the beach — shaded options specifically noted as available, unlike some of the more exposed parking lots at other Velika Plaža sections. Flyboarding and water sports equipment are available at Splash Adventures, operating from the Cabo Beach section.

By bicycle, the ride from the Port Milena bridge at the northern end of Velika Plaža to Cabo Beach is approximately 10 to 15 minutes along the flat coastal approach. The cycling route passes the kalimera traditional fishing cottages that line the approach — stone structures used by fishermen for centuries, some still in use, that are the specific architectural detail of the Velika Plaža hinterland that distinguishes it from the undifferentiated beach club architecture of the sections further south.

The Beach: Dark Medicinal Sand, Blue Flag, Dense Tree Shade, Crowded in Peak Season

The beach surface at Cabo is the characteristic dark volcanic sand of Velika Plaža throughout — the mineral-rich grain that warms quickly in the sun and that the therapeutic tradition of the coast attributes healing properties to. The seabed gradient is gentle: approximately 50 metres of wading depth before the water reaches waist height, which is the standard Velika Plaža northern section quality.

The tree shade is the specific practical advantage that Cabo Beach offers relative to the more exposed sections. The dense grove directly behind the sunbathing area provides effective natural shade throughout the day — an unusual provision on Velika Plaža, where most sections rely entirely on hired umbrella cover for sun protection. The combination of the shade trees and the swing-bed baldachins means that visitors who arrive early and secure a swing-bed position can spend a full beach day without ever needing to move into direct sun.

The water tends to get slightly dirtier after 2pm during peak season — a visitor-confirmed pattern attributable to the volume of swimmers, jet ski traffic, and afternoon wind that the northern bay sections experience during the hottest hours. Morning swimming, before 2pm, is consistently recommended for the clearest conditions.

The Swing-Beds (Baldachins): Reserve a Day Ahead

The swing-beds at Cabo Beach are the element that most distinguishes its character from the adjacent sections. A baldachin is a canopied platform bed suspended at approximately half a metre from the sand — the occupant reclines above the beach surface, the canopy provides shade, and the structure sways gently in the breeze. They accommodate two people per unit, cost €25 to €35 per set per day, and fill completely on peak season mornings without a reservation.

The practical advice from visitor accounts is consistent: call or message Cabo Beach the day before to reserve a swing-bed position. Arriving without a reservation and expecting to find a baldachin available by mid-morning in July is an optimistic expectation. Standard sunbeds at €15 per bed are available without reservation but similarly fill quickly.

The Restaurant: Large, Friendly Staff, Inconsistent Food Quality

Cabo Beach has a large restaurant — described consistently as having friendly and helpful staff, noted for its capacity to handle large groups simultaneously. The food quality receives mixed reviews in visitor accounts: the seafood dishes (particularly fresh fish and calamari) receive both praise and complaints about cold presentation, while the grilled meats, pizzas, and pasta dishes are more consistently described positively. The specific advice that emerges: order from the grill and the pizza oven rather than the cold seafood dishes during peak service periods.

The restaurant’s friendly staff is the specific quality that separates Cabo from some of the less visitor-rated sections along Velika Plaža — visitor accounts that compare multiple sections of the strip consistently mention the Cabo staff warmth as a distinguishing quality.

Flyboarding at Splash Adventures

Splash Adventures operates flyboarding from Cabo Beach — the water sport in which a rider stands on a board connected by a long hose to a personal watercraft, with water jets beneath the board propelling the rider several metres above the sea surface. It is the highest-adrenaline activity available at the section, and the one most photographed by visitor accounts of the beach for the dramatic aerial position it creates above the Adriatic water surface.

Cabo in the Velika Plaža Section Hierarchy

The Velika Plaža gradient runs north (family, shallow, more organised) to south (kite schools, bohemian, wilder). The further north you go, the more kids and shallower water; the further south, the more expensive, better places, and more club vibes. Cabo is among the most popular sections of the northern portion, ranked as a favourite by visitors who compared Miami, MCM, and Cabo.

Within the northern section quality range, Cabo is the premium position — the swing-bed baldachins, the tree shade, the Blue Flag water quality, and the flyboarding option making it the most complete amenity provision in the family-oriented northern strip. Miami Beach Ulcinj is 2 kilometres north, at the very beginning of Velika Plaža nearest to town. Long Beach Velika Plaža Ulcinj is the full strip overview article covering the complete beach context.

Cabo Beach on Ulcinj’s Velika Plaža is the Blue Flag section between Ulcinj and Štoj — swing-beds at €25 to €35 (reserve a day ahead), sunbeds at €15, dense tree shade behind the sand, flyboarding with Splash Adventures, cleaner water before 2pm, friendly restaurant staff, and the free shaded parking that the other sections sometimes cannot provide.

Take the €1.50 kombi south from town. Follow the signs for Cabo. Call ahead for the swing-bed.