Praia do Forno

Praia do Forno is the cove that regulars keep half to themselves. It sits around the headland from the busier João Fernandes beaches, a short crescent of pale sand held in a rocky cove where the water turns a clean, still green. There is no road to it and no resort on the sand, only low cliffs, scrub and a rustic kiosk or two in season, and reaching it is part of the pleasure. Walk the short cliff trail from Praia João Fernandes, or take one of the little boats that ferry visitors from the town beaches, and you arrive somewhere that feels quieter and more considered than the Búzios postcard.

The draw is the calm. Sheltered from the open swell, Forno holds some of the clearest, gentlest water on the peninsula, easy for a long swim and rewarding for snorkelling over the rocks on the right side of the cove. Come mid morning, before the first boat trips tie up, and you can have the sheltered water close to yourself in the best light of the day. It is a swimming and snorkelling cove first, a place to float and look rather than to be seen.

The honest notes are about scale and timing. Forno is small, and because it is lovely and a little hidden it fills quickly on a summer weekend, when the boats arrive and the sand disappears under towels. Shade is patchy once the sun climbs, the kiosks are simple and seasonal rather than a proper beach service, and there is no lifeguard, so the calm is typical rather than guaranteed and you should swim within your depth. Bring water, sun cover and a mask, and treat it as a morning cove rather than an all day resort.

Come to Praia do Forno for the calmest, clearest water in Búzios and a morning of easy snorkelling. For the neighbouring sheltered sand and its kiosks go to João Fernandes Beach, and for a livelier, wider bay try Geribá Beach. For the full picture start at the best beaches in Búzios, for loungers and dining see the Búzios beach clubs directory, and to plan your timing read when to go to Búzios.