Akumal or Merida?

Akumal is built around its beaches. It has a string of small, sheltered Caribbean bays with clear water behind the reef, green turtles grazing a few metres from shore in Akumal Bay, and quieter coves at Half Moon and Jade Bay. Some of the shore is seagrass or rock rather than soft sand, and Xcacel and Tulum are close by when you want more space.

Merida is inland, so a beach day means driving about 40km to Progreso on the Gulf. The water there is warm and safe but shallow and green, and the shore is flat and plain. Most visitors to Merida remember their swims in the cenotes rather than in the sea.

Merida is the place to eat Yucatecan cooking at its source. You can have cochinita pibil for breakfast at the Lucas de Galvez and Santiago markets, relleno negro and sopa de lima in family loncherias and old townhouse dining rooms, and marquesitas from carts in the squares in the evening.

Akumal serves some of the same dishes, but the best of them are at the taco stands in the workers' pueblo across the highway. In the bays the choice comes down to grilled fish and ceviche at resort prices. Many visitors cook in their villas or drive to Playa del Carmen or Tulum for a proper dinner.

Merida has a full colonial centre to explore. The cathedral of San Ildefonso was built from the stones of Maya temples, the Casa de Montejo has its carved facade and the Palacio de Gobierno its murals, and the henequen-era mansions along Paseo de Montejo complete the picture. The Gran Museo del Mundo Maya gives you the background before you go out to the ruins.

Akumal grew from a coconut plantation and a divers' camp, and apart from its reef and turtle centre it has nothing to visit. From Akumal, culture means driving to Tulum or Coba.

Neither place is a party town, but Merida at least has evenings to go out for. Once the heat lifts, people head to mezcal bars along Calle 60 and around Santa Lucia, rooftop terraces and old cantinas that bring small plates with every round, and a few late bars and clubs stay open at weekends.

In Akumal the evening usually ends with a margarita by the bay. Anyone who wants more has to take a taxi to Playa del Carmen or Tulum.

Both places sit on the same flat, forested limestone, and neither has real hiking. In Akumal the best nature is underwater. You can snorkel the Mesoamerican reef straight from the shore, dive sites are a short boat ride out, the cave-diving cenotes along the Coba road are world famous, and turtles nest on the protected beaches.

Merida's nature is drier and more spread out. You reach the cenotes around Cuzama and Homun by bicycle or horse-drawn rail cart, and the flamingo boats at Celestun are a long drive west. These are good outings, but Merida has no reef and no sea life to match Akumal's.

Merida is the better base for the Maya world. Uxmal and the Ruta Puuc sites of Kabah, Sayil and Labna are about an hour south, Dzibilchaltun and Mayapan are short trips, and yellow-painted Izamal and the restored haciendas add variety beyond the ruins.

Akumal is well placed on its own coast. Tulum's clifftop ruins and the forest pyramid at Coba are both close, and the Cozumel ferry leaves from Playa del Carmen. Chichen Itza and Valladolid are roughly two hours from either place.

Akumal is easier with children. The shallow, sheltered bays and the Yal-Ku lagoon suit young swimmers, snorkelling with turtles is a highlight for children, and the eco-parks at Xel-Ha and Xcaret add zip lines and underground rivers. Villas with pools give families room to spread out.

Merida welcomes children warmly. There is a free zoo in the Parque del Centenario and balloon sellers in the evening squares. But the ruins are in open sun, the pavements are narrow and uneven, and nothing in the city is built specially for children.

Merida's centre is a numbered grid where it is hard to get lost, and most sights are within walking distance of the Plaza Grande. Taxis and ride-hailing cover the rest, and long-distance buses run to Chichen Itza and Progreso. The heat and narrow pavements are the main drawbacks.

Akumal is a scatter of bays off the highway with little to walk between. The shared colectivo vans are fine for a single trip, but most visitors end up hiring a car.

Merida is where Yucatecan crafts are sold. You will find hammocks in every size, guayabera shirts, fine Panama hats woven in nearby Becal and embroidered huipiles, sold in the crowded market streets or the galleries in restored houses. The malls in the north of the city cover the big brands.

In Akumal the shops sell little beyond sunscreen, snorkel gear and groceries. For shopping, visitors go to Playa del Carmen's pedestrian street.

Merida costs much less day to day. Market meals and street food are cheap, cantina snacks come free with drinks, buses and taxis cost little and many cultural evenings are free. Even a courtyard hotel in a colonial house is good value for what you get.

Akumal is expensive by Mexican standards. There are almost no budget rooms in the bays, and car hire and entry to cenotes and eco-parks add up over a week. Cooking in a villa and eating in the pueblo help, and the bays themselves cost nothing to enjoy once you are there.

Merida has free performances in its squares most nights. Jarana dancers perform the vaqueria, trova trios sing at the serenade in Parque Santa Lucia and the Maya ballgame is re-enacted in front of the cathedral. The Teatro Jose Peon Contreras hosts the Yucatan Symphony Orchestra and ballet.

Akumal has at most a guitarist in a beach restaurant. The nearest proper show is the evening spectacle of Mexican music and dance at Xcaret.

Akumal is the more restful of the two. The bays are free of traffic, days pass between hammocks and gentle swims, and a cool cenote or a temazcal sweat lodge ceremony adds something you would not find at home. Massage and yoga are easy to book, though the spas are modest.

Merida's slowness comes from its siesta afternoons and courtyard plunge pools, and its best spas are in haciendas outside town. The centre can be noisy, and the heat of late spring wears you out rather than relaxing you.