Abu Dhabi or Singapore?

Abu Dhabi has the real beaches here. The Corniche gives you lifeguarded sand right in the city, and Saadiyat has a broad natural shore backed by dunes where turtles nest. The water is shallow, calm and clear, so swimming is easy, as long as you avoid the high summer.

Singapore's sea is just as warm and safe, but the Sentosa beaches are man-made, the water is rarely clear and the horizon is full of ships. Most visitors end up in the hotel pool, or take a ferry to the lagoons of St John's and Lazarus for something quieter.

Food is where Singapore pulls furthest ahead. Its hawker centres, from Maxwell and Lau Pa Sat to Tekka and Old Airport Road, put Chinese, Malay, Indian and Peranakan cooking side by side, cheaply and at almost any hour, with serious fine dining on top.

Abu Dhabi eats well in two narrower ways. There are polished hotel restaurants and the Friday brunch, and there are cheap Keralan, Pakistani and Levantine kitchens downtown. Emirati dishes take effort to find, and because alcohol stays mostly in hotels, eating out feels less casual.

The two are about level, but the experience differs. Abu Dhabi offers a few big set pieces: the marble Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, the Louvre under its filtering dome and the halls of Qasr Al Watan. Little of the old town survives beyond Qasr Al Hosn, so you visit landmarks one by one.

Singapore spreads its culture across neighbourhoods you can walk. The museums cluster in the colonial Civic District, with the National Gallery leading on Southeast Asian art. Between visits there are temples and shophouses in Chinatown, Little India and Kampong Glam.

Singapore has more to offer after dark. Its cocktail bars in the Chinatown and Keong Saik shophouses, its rooftop terraces over Marina Bay and the riverside quays give you districts to wander between drinks, though nights stay orderly and costly.

In Abu Dhabi going out mostly means a hotel lounge, a beach bar or an expat pub on Yas or Al Maryah. Many evenings end at a shisha café or with a stroll on the Corniche instead.

Neither offers big landscapes, but Singapore has more green within reach. You can walk real rainforest at Bukit Timah and MacRitchie among macaques, cross the Southern Ridges walkways, watch birds at Sungei Buloh and cycle around Pulau Ubin, all by public transport.

Abu Dhabi's best nature is quieter and further apart. You can kayak through the mangroves at Jubail and the east of the island, or drive out to the dunes. From May to September the heat rules out almost everything except dawn outings.

Abu Dhabi has better outings. Al Ain's palm oases and mud-brick forts make a complete change of mood, and Dubai and Sharjah's museum quarters are each within reach by road for a full day.

Singapore is boxed in by the sea and a border. Johor Bahru is close but slowed by causeway queues, the Indonesian islands are mostly resort stays, and Malacca really needs a night.

Both work very well with children, with Singapore slightly ahead because it is easier to get around. The Mandai parks, including the zoo, Night Safari and bird park, are the highlight, along with Universal Studios on Sentosa and water play in the gardens, and the MRT links them all.

Abu Dhabi focuses on thrills and resorts. The Yas Island parks sit close together, and the hotels have shallow pools and kids' clubs beside a calm sea. Almost every outing needs a taxi, and summer keeps families indoors.

Here the two differ completely. Singapore's MRT is air-conditioned, step-free and reaches nearly every sight from the airport onwards, you pay with a tap of a card, and nobody needs a car.

Abu Dhabi has no metro, and its buses are little use to visitors. The mosque, the Louvre and the Yas parks sit apart along highways, so you rely on taxis, ride-hailing or a hire car, and walking is only pleasant on the Corniche in winter.

Both shop mainly in air-conditioned malls, but Singapore has more range. Orchard Road and the Marina Bay arcades cover the big brands, while Haji Lane and Tiong Bahru add independent boutiques and bookshops, with spices, saris and Peranakan crafts in the ethnic quarters.

Abu Dhabi suits brand shoppers on Al Maryah Island and in the Yas malls. Its local buys of dates, oud and carpets come from the modern souks and the Iranian market by the port.

Neither is cheap, but Abu Dhabi is easier on the budget, mainly because its big chain hotels are often good value outside the winter peak. Its theme parks, hotel brunches and drinks still add up quickly.

In Singapore the room is the heavy cost, even in plain mid-range hotels. The hawker stalls, cheap trains and free gardens help a lot, but they cannot offset the hotel bill.

Singapore has a steadier stage. The Esplanade on the bay runs concerts, theatre and free outdoor shows, the Singapore Symphony Orchestra plays a full season, and touring musicals come to Marina Bay Sands, so most weeks offer something.

Abu Dhabi imports its performances. Arena shows on Yas and the spring Abu Dhabi Festival are the peaks, with smaller concerts on Saadiyat in the cool months and very little in summer.

The two are close, and both rely on hotel spas rather than any bathing tradition. Abu Dhabi has the edge for pure rest, because the palace hotels and Saadiyat resorts pair hammam rooms with long, quiet pool and beach days.

Singapore offers more everyday options, such as foot reflexology and Chinese medicine in Chinatown and Ayurveda in Little India. The city's pace is busier, though, and its calmest spots are the Botanic Gardens and reservoir paths early in the morning.