Anguilla or St Barts?

Both islands are among the finest beach destinations in the Caribbean, but Anguilla edges ahead, and the difference is one of scale. Its flat coral shoreline gives long, powdery strands such as Shoal Bay East and the west-end bays of Meads and Rendezvous, plus boat trips out to the sandbar of Sandy Island and Prickly Pear Cays.

St Barts has smaller coves, each with its own character. Saline and Gouverneur are wild and can have surf, the Cul-de-Sac lagoons are calm behind a reef, Colombier can only be reached on foot or by boat, and at St Jean the planes land over the swimmers.

The two eat about equally well, but in different styles. On Anguilla dinner is the main event, at polished beachfront restaurants along the west end and the bay at Sandy Ground, where crayfish and grilled snapper with johnny cakes and peas and rice are the local dishes. At weekends the roadside lolos grill ribs and chicken, the island's most informal way to eat.

St Barts eats French first, with boulangeries in Gustavia and St Jean, French cheese and wine in the supermarkets for villa cooks, and long rosé lunches on the sand at Saline or Flamands. Neither island has much street food or variety, and a week covers either.

Neither island is a place for sightseeing, though St Barts has a little more to look at. Its century under Swedish rule left the clock tower, the Wall House museum and the old forts above Gustavia, and there is the fishing village of Corossol.

Anguilla's sights are Wallblake House in The Valley, the Heritage Collection Museum and the Amerindian carvings in Fountain Cavern. On either island, that fills a morning.

St Barts has a real scene, at least from Christmas into spring. Beach lunches at St Jean turn into afternoon parties, the Gustavia harbour bars and a couple of late clubs carry on after dark, and New Year week is famously loud. It is fashionable and seasonal rather than varied.

Anguilla's nights are mostly long dinners. Sandy Ground's beach bars and the Sunday afternoon sessions are the exceptions, and there are no proper clubs.

St Barts has more to offer on land. Its steep, scrubby hills give fine views from the roads and a cliff path from Flamands to Colombier, and turtles are often seen in the marine reserve.

Anguilla is low, flat and dry, with coastal walks and birds around the salt ponds. Its outdoor life is on the water: diving the reefs and wrecks around Prickly Pear Cays and Dog Island, kitesurfing in the trade winds and watching the wooden sloop races.

Anguilla is better placed for an outing. The ferry from Blowing Point reaches Saint Martin in about twenty minutes, which makes Marigot, Grand Case or Philipsburg an easy day, and a chartered boat can go on to Gustavia.

From St Barts the same Saint Martin trip takes about an hour by ferry. Anguilla, Saba and St Eustatius need a charter or a plane, so most stays never leave the island.

For families the two are evenly matched: very safe, quiet and with calm shallow water for small children. Anguilla has gently sloping bays such as Rendezvous and Shoal Bay West, while St Barts has its reef-sheltered lagoons and Shell Beach in town, plus pool villas that keep children busy.

Neither has anything built for children, so older ones may tire of both after the snorkelling.

On both islands you will need a hire car, but the driving feels very different. Anguilla is flat and about 26km long, with light traffic and only the odd potholed track down to a beach.

St Barts is tiny but has steep, narrow hairpin roads with blind corners and tight parking in Gustavia. It does, though, have two walkable centres, Gustavia's harbour and St Jean. Both islands are reached via Saint Martin, by ferry to Anguilla or by small plane or ferry to St Barts.

St Barts is the island for shopping, though the range is narrow. Its harbour-front shops sell almost nothing but expensive clothes, watches and jewellery. There are no markets or department stores, and little for anyone who is not shopping for a smart vacation wardrobe. The more personal finds are woven straw work from Corossol, local rum and scented oils.

Anguilla has hardly any shops, and its best buys are art rather than fashion: work by local painters and sculptors in small galleries in The Valley and around the island. Beyond that there is resort wear and souvenirs to eat or drink, such as the island's sea salt and hot sauces.

Both are among the most expensive islands anywhere, and neither suits a budget trip. Anguilla gives slightly more room to save, with simple guesthouses and apartments and cheap ribs and chicken from the roadside lolos.

On St Barts there is no budget side at all. The small-plane flight and the rental car add to the bill, and cooking French supermarket food in a villa is the main way to soften it.

There is little formal performance on either island, and they differ mainly in their styles of music. Anguilla means reggae, soca and string bands at beach bars, a long-running reggae festival in March and calypso at the August Summer Festival.

St Barts has a long-established festival each January, with classical music, opera and dance in Gustavia's churches and open-air spaces, and the steel bands of the carnival before Lent.

For rest the two are equals: no bathing tradition, good resort spas and no high-rises to spoil the peace. The difference is in the details.

St Barts brings massage therapists and yoga teachers to your villa, but around New Year its harbour is anything but calm. Anguilla, with no cruise pier, stays quiet through the whole season.