Anguilla or St Croix?

Anguilla has the edge, and beaches are what the island is about. More than thirty of them ring the coast, with powdery sand and calm water, from the long sweep of Shoal Bay East to the sheltered west-end bays of Meads, Rendezvous and Maundays, and boats run out to the bare sandbar of Sandy Island. With no high-rises and no cruise pier, even the famous beaches stay quiet.

St Croix's beaches are lovely but fewer and smaller. The long sands are at Sandy Point and Rainbow Beach on the west end, Cane Bay is the place to snorkel straight from the shore, and Buck Island's white beach is a boat ride away. Sandy Point gives way to nesting turtles for part of the year.

On Anguilla, eating out is the main event of the day. The beachfront restaurants at the west end and around Sandy Ground make dinner an occasion, and the weekend lolos and grilled crayfish give it a local side, though you will have tasted most of the menu within a week.

St Croix's appeal is homelier. Its Crucian cooking, such as kallaloo, goat stew with fungi, fried pates and Indo-Caribbean roti from roadside stands, is worth seeking out, and the rum distilleries near Frederiksted are worth a visit. Christiansted's restaurants serve mostly fish and mainland American dishes, and the choice overall is narrower than Anguilla's.

St Croix has far more to see. Christiansted's arcaded ochre waterfront, the Steeple Building and Fort Christiansvaern make up a preserved Danish colonial town, and Frederiksted's red fort is where emancipation was proclaimed in 1848. Ruined sugar mills on the hills and the Whim estate tell the plantation story.

Anguilla has Wallblake House, the small Heritage Collection Museum in East End and the Amerindian carvings in Fountain Cavern. That fills a morning or two.

Neither island has clubs, and both go quiet early, but evenings out feel different on each. On Anguilla, going out means dancing on the sand at Sandy Ground's beach bars at weekends and Sunday afternoon sessions that run into the evening. The March reggae festival and the August carnival bring the island's busiest nights.

St Croix's evenings centre on a town. They take place in the open-air bars along Christiansted's boardwalk and in its old courtyards, where locals mix with sailors and visitors. Its late nights come with the Crucian Christmas Festival season, when the street parties and village fairs run late.

St Croix is much the stronger island outdoors. Beneath the surface it offers the snorkelling trail through elkhorn coral at Buck Island Reef, the Cane Bay wall that divers reach from the beach, and the night dive under Frederiksted pier. On land it has hill walks above Jack and Isaac Bays, a pocket of rainforest in the north-west, glowing night paddles on Salt River Bay and leatherback turtles nesting at Sandy Point.

Anguilla is flat, dry scrub, so its outdoors happens on the water. It has snorkelling at Little Bay, reef and wreck dives around Prickly Pear Cays and Dog Island, and sailing and kitesurfing in the trade winds.

Anguilla is better placed for a day away. Saint Martin is only about twenty minutes by ferry from Blowing Point. It offers French Marigot, the restaurant street of Grand Case and duty-free Philipsburg, and chartered boats reach St Barths for an occasional treat.

St Croix sits apart, some 60km south of the other Virgin Islands. Reaching St Thomas or St John means a seaplane or a longer boat crossing, which makes it a full and fairly costly day, so most visitors simply travel between Christiansted and Frederiksted.

Both islands suit families in much the same way: calm water, a gentle pace and nothing built for children. Anguilla's gently shelving bays, such as Rendezvous and Meads, and its almost empty roads make it especially easy with toddlers.

St Croix has a little more to fill the days, with easy first snorkels at Buck Island, sea turtles, tide pools and a fort to climb around. American families need no passport there, though some of the best coves are reached by rough paths.

Anguilla is the simpler island to get around. It is about 26km long with light traffic, so every beach is a short drive from wherever you stay, although getting there means a flight into Sint Maarten and a ferry.

St Croix is more spread out. Its two towns are about forty minutes apart, and the road up to the north shore is steep and winding. You need a hire car on either island and drive on the left on both, but St Croix's compact towns, Christiansted above all, are pleasant to explore on foot.

Neither island is a shopping destination, but St Croix gives you a little more to browse. In Christiansted's arcaded streets local jewellers make the Crucian hook bracelet, alongside galleries of Caribbean art and shops selling rum and hot sauce.

Anguilla offers a few galleries, resort boutiques and souvenirs such as local sea salt. Serious shoppers on either island take a boat to duty-free streets elsewhere, Saint Martin from Anguilla and St Thomas from St Croix.

Anguilla is the more expensive of the two by a clear margin. Most beds are in high-end resorts and villas, and meals, taxis and even groceries are priced for an island that imports nearly everything. The roadside lolos are the main way to save.

St Croix still costs more than the American mainland. Even so, small guesthouses in Christiansted, local food stands and free beaches keep a stay noticeably cheaper than on Anguilla.

Neither island has much of a stage, but the music differs in kind. Anguilla's is the wider Caribbean sound of reggae, soca and local string bands, played in beach bars rather than any venue, because the island has no theatre or concert hall at all. Its fullest showing is the calypso and soca of the August Summer Festival, which also brings boat racing.

St Croix has a folk tradition of its own. Quelbe is scratch-band music played on gourds, banjo and flute, and mocko jumbie dancers perform on stilts, both at their best at festival time. There is also a small performing arts centre with occasional touring shows, some community theatre and open-air jazz on Frederiksted's waterfront, though there is no regular season to plan a trip around.

Anguilla is the better island for switching off. Its luxury resort spas are more extensive, some with treatment rooms open to the sea breeze, and with no cruise crowds or high-rises the days slow down easily.

St Croix offers a handful of resort spas, massage studios and the odd yoga class. Its West End and the villas on the east end hills are calm, but there is less choice for a stay built around a spa.