Bacalar or Playa del Carmen?

Playa del Carmen has the proper Caribbean beach. The sand runs the length of town, from the beach clubs near the ferry pier to quieter Playacar and Punta Esmeralda. The reef keeps the turquoise sea gentle, and Xpu-Ha, Akumal and Puerto Morelos are a short colectivo ride away. The catch is narrow, crowded sand in the centre and sargassum in some summers.

Bacalar offers something different: you swim in a freshwater lagoon, not the sea. The water is calm, clear and warm, and you get in from docks and balnearios rather than from sand. Cenote Azul and the current at Los Rápidos add variety. There is no surf and no beach to walk along, so anyone who pictures towels on sand will be happier in Playa.

Both towns serve Yucatecan dishes such as cochinita pibil, but Playa del Carmen has far more choice. Taco stands with al pastor and simple marisquerías line the streets inland from Quinta Avenida, and a long-settled Italian and Argentine community makes good pizza, pasta and coffee easy to find.

In Bacalar, the cooking means taquerías and cocinas económicas in town, juice stands on the square and a small group of lakeside restaurants. After a few days you will be going back to the same places.

Neither town is a place for sightseeing, and in both the real heritage is the Maya cities further out. Bacalar has the one solid sight: the eighteenth-century Fuerte de San Felipe, whose museum tells the story of the pirate raids, with ramparts that look over the lagoon. Playa del Carmen has only bits and pieces: the small Xaman Ha ruins among the Playacar villas, the white seafront chapel that gave the town its name, and a few galleries.

This is where the two towns differ most. In Playa del Carmen, nights out centre on Calle 12 and the stretch of Quinta Avenida around it, with bars and clubs playing reggaeton, house and EDM until the early hours, plus beach-club day parties and rooftop bars at sunset. For a quieter drink, there are mezcal bars on the side streets further north.

Bacalar has a few bars on the square and the lakeshore, drinks at the hostels and some music in the plaza now and then. Nothing runs late, because most people are up for a sunrise paddle.

Playa del Carmen gives far more choice outdoors. Inland are the cenotes along the Ruta de los Cenotes. Offshore, the Mesoamerican Reef has well-known dive walls off Cozumel. Add Akumal's green turtles and boat trips into the Sian Ka'an reserve, and there is a different setting for each day.

Bacalar has one outstanding landscape: over 40km of lagoon edged with mangroves, with stromatolites in the shallows, sailing trips to Bird Island and kayaking on glassy water at dawn. Away from the water, the flat forest offers little, and neither town has hills for hiking.

Playa del Carmen sits in the middle of the Riviera Maya, so the region's best-known sites are within reach. Tulum's clifftop walls are close, Coba is under two hours away, and the ferry crosses to Cozumel. Valladolid, Ek Balam and Chichen Itza make longer but popular days out.

Bacalar's outings are quieter and smaller. Chacchoben's temples stand in the jungle, Kohunlich and Dzibanché make a pair, and Chetumal has a Maya museum. Few of these are crowded, but none is in the same league as Tulum or Chichen Itza, and most need a car.

Playa del Carmen is far easier with children. The Xcaret, Xel-Ha and Xplor parks are built for whole family days, with underground rivers, zip lines and snorkelling lagoons. Shallow cenotes and Akumal's turtles add more, and families can stay in Playacar or the quieter north, away from Calle 12.

Bacalar's warm, wave-free lagoon is lovely for paddling and jumping off docks. Apart from that there is little for children to do, pavements are scarce and the heat is tiring, so it works best for older children at a lodge with its own dock.

Playa del Carmen is easier to get around without a car. The flat centre is walkable along Quinta Avenida and the beach. Colectivo vans run along Highway 307 to beaches and cenotes, and buses, the Cozumel ferry and a Tren Maya station link it to the rest of the region.

Bacalar's centre is only a few blocks, but the stays, balnearios and Cenote Azul are spread along kilometres of shore road that is unpleasant to walk. That means taxis or bicycles, and a hire car for the ruins.

Playa del Carmen has a real shopping street. Quinta Avenida runs for several kilometres with silver, Talavera pottery, Huichol beadwork, embroidered blouses and linen boutiques, and there is an open-air mall with international brands near the pier, although much of the stock is souvenirs. In Bacalar, shopping comes down to a few stalls of hammocks and embroidered cotton by the square, and people go to Chetumal for anything practical.

Bacalar is usually the cheaper stay. Food, taxis, bicycles and shared boat trips cost little, and there are good-value guesthouses in town. The exception is the lakeside lodges with private docks, which cost much the same as the Caribbean coast.

Playa del Carmen costs more than most of Mexico. Hotels, beach clubs, eco-parks and diving are priced for foreign visitors, and the costs add up quickly. Staying a few blocks back, eating at taco stands and riding colectivos keeps spending modest, but it still costs more than a simple stay in Bacalar.

Neither town has a theatre or concert scene, but Playa del Carmen gives you something for an evening. There are salsa, rock-cover and mariachi bands in the bars on Quinta Avenida, fire dancers on the beach, and the large evening show at Xcaret, which tells Mexican history through music, dance and the Maya ball game. In Bacalar, the most you will find is the odd weekend band in a bar or on the square.

Bacalar is slightly better for rest, mainly because of its pace. You can stay at a lodge with no road noise, swim off the dock at sunset, and join yoga or a temazcal at one of the small studios. There are no large spas, so it is about quiet rather than pampering.

Playa del Carmen has more facilities: resort spas, beachfront massage, many yoga studios in the north of town and the same temazcal tradition. To rest well there, though, you need to stay in Playacar or by the northern beaches, away from the late music around Calle 12.