Ayutthaya or Phuket?

Ayutthaya has no beach at all, and its rivers are for boats rather than swimming, so the pool is the only place to cool off. Phuket is the opposite: a whole coast of sandy bays, from crowded Patong to the open sweep of Mai Khao, with island beaches a boat ride away.

The one catch is the monsoon. From May to October rip currents make Phuket's west coast dangerous, and swimmers move to the sheltered east-coast bays or the pool.

Ayutthaya eats simply and well: boat noodles by the bowlful, grilled river prawns by the water and roti sai mai from the stalls, but the range stops there. Phuket goes further. Phuket Town has its own Hokkien and Peranakan cooking, and the island adds fiery southern curries, seafood sold by weight and some good resort restaurants, even if the beach strips lean on pad thai and pizza.

Ayutthaya is a whole royal capital in ruins. Brick prangs, chedis and headless Buddhas from the Siamese kingdom that fell in 1767 are scattered across the island and along both riverbanks. Nearly all of it is temple and ruin, so there is little variety, but there is enough of it to fill several days of cycling from one site to the next.

Phuket's heritage is much younger and fits into a few streets of Phuket Town. Its pastel shophouses and Chinese clan houses were built on tin money, and Wat Chalong and the hilltop Big Buddha add a little more. It makes a pleasant day away from the beach, where Ayutthaya's sights are the reason for the trip.

Phuket has a real night out. It is centred on Patong, where Bangla Road stays loud with clubs and bars until dawn, and there are gentler beach clubs and bars at Bang Tao, Kamala and Kata. Ayutthaya has a short backpacker strip and drinks by the river facing the lit-up temples, and most people are back at their guesthouse well before midnight.

Phuket's outdoors is mostly on the water. You can kayak among the limestone towers and lagoons of Phang Nga Bay, snorkel and dive off the Racha and Similan islands, or walk the rainforest trails at Khao Phra Thaeo. Ayutthaya is flat rice fields and river, good for cycling past ruins, taking a long-tail boat at dusk and watching egrets, and the nearest real forest is at Khao Yai.

Ayutthaya has the stronger choice of day trips, because Bangkok and more history are within easy reach. Bangkok's palaces and temples are an hour and a half south, the odd royal mix of styles at Bang Pa-In is twenty minutes away, and Lopburi's Khmer temples and monkeys lie to the north.

From Phuket, a day out nearly always means a boat to Phi Phi or the Koh Yao islands, or a drive to Krabi or Khao Lak. These are pleasant trips, but they are mostly more beaches rather than something different.

Phuket is much easier with children. Resorts at Kata, Karon and the northern bays have kids' clubs and big pools, the shallows are gentle in the dry season, and water parks, an aquarium and short boat trips fill the days. The things to avoid are Patong after dark and the monsoon surf.

Ayutthaya holds young children for a morning among the ruins, especially the Buddha head caught in tree roots. After that there is little shade, and not much made for them beyond a boat or tuk-tuk ride.

Neither is easy, but Ayutthaya is simpler. The old city is a flat island a few kilometres across, ideal for a bicycle, with tuk-tuks for a half-day circuit and small ferries across the rivers. Phuket spreads its beaches along a hilly coastal road. Its one bus is infrequent and the songthaews do not link one beach to another, so most visitors pay for taxis or take the risk of a scooter.

Phuket has more to browse, though little of it is special. There are malls near Phuket Town and in Patong, a huge weekend night market, tailors and pearl shops, and the small galleries and Sunday walking street of the old quarter. In Ayutthaya there is not much beyond night-market stalls, temple souvenirs and floating markets staged for visitors, and the crafts centre at Bang Sai is the one local draw.

Ayutthaya is much the cheaper of the two. Riverside guesthouses and hotels with pools cost little even by Thai standards, and bicycle hire is almost free. Entrance fees at the ruins are the main expense.

Phuket is still good value by Western standards, but beachfront resorts, restaurants aimed at tourists and above all taxis push daily costs well above Ayutthaya's. Rooms at the main beaches also rise sharply in peak season.

Neither is a place for theatre or concerts, though Phuket has a little more on most nights: cabaret revues, staged cultural shows and bands in beach bars. Ayutthaya's performances come mainly once a year, with light-and-sound shows among the ruins during the World Heritage fair.

Phuket is built for this, with massage on every beach road, resort spas, retreats for yoga and detox, and the Muay Thai camps of Chalong for those who would rather train hard. Quiet bases such as Nai Harn and Mai Khao are well away from Patong.

In Ayutthaya, wellness means a cheap Thai massage after a day's cycling and an evening on a river terrace once the tour buses have gone. It is restful, but there are hardly any spas.