Bali or Andaman Islands?

These are two of the best beach destinations in Asia, but the beaches are very different. Andaman beaches are long, forest-backed and sheltered. Radhanagar has fine white sand and easy swimming on calm days, and the very shallow shores of Shaheed Dweep show coral at low tide. The catch is the season: from late May to September many are unsafe for swimming, and crocodiles in mangrove creeks mean you should keep to signed beaches.

Bali's coast offers more variety but less calm. The west-facing sands of Kuta, Seminyak and Canggu are made for surf and sunsets, with rips to respect. Sanur and Nusa Dua have quiet reef lagoons, and the Bukit has small cliff-foot coves reached by long flights of steps.

Bali eats far better. Because the island is Hindu, its cooking stands apart from the rest of Indonesia, built on pork dishes such as babi guling and on duck slow-cooked in banana leaves. Add the morning markets, Canggu's coffee roasters and Ubud's tasting menus, and there is plenty to plan meals around. Just avoid the generic tourist food on the busiest strips.

On the Andamans, the seafood is fresh and well grilled, but the cooking is borrowed from Bengal and South India. Beyond Port Blair, most places serve similar menus. Alcohol is also harder to come by, as only licensed places serve it.

The Andamans have one strong story, the British penal settlement. The Cellular Jail and the fig-strangled ruins of Ross Island tell it well, but two days in Port Blair cover everything worth seeing.

Bali's culture is woven into daily life, so it fills a whole trip. Every morning brings fresh offerings, and processions can appear at any time. There are sea temples at Tanah Lot and Uluwatu, Besakih on the slopes of Agung and the subak terraces of Jatiluwih. Its museums are modest, and the great temples are long drives apart.

Bali has a real night out, and the Andamans essentially do not. In Bali's south-west you can choose your evening: beach clubs that run from pool afternoons into DJ sets, Canggu's young bar-hopping crowd, Seminyak's cocktail lounges, or the late clubs of Kuta and Legian.

On the Andamans, the evening is a sunset, dinner and maybe a drink at a resort bar. Early ferries and dive starts send everyone to bed.

Underwater, the two are close. The Andamans have calm, warm reefs off Swaraj Dweep with turtles and reef sharks, plus marine park snorkelling at Wandoor. Their land side is limited to forest trails on Mount Harriet and a long trek north to Baratang's caves and mud volcanoes.

Bali offers more range. You can climb Batur before dawn for sunrise over the caldera, walk the crater-lake highlands of Munduk, surf world-famous reef breaks on the Bukit and dive the Tulamben wreck or with mantas off Nusa Penida. Its outdoors suits active travellers, not just snorkellers.

Neither is a place for many excursions, but Bali has more to fill a spare day. You can visit the walled Bali Aga village of Tenganan with its double-ikat weaving, the tidy street of Penglipuran, or the slow valley of Sidemen. Nusa Lembongan is a short boat ride from Sanur. The south's traffic limits how many outings you can manage.

On the Andamans, outings are boat trips from Port Blair to Viper Island's ruined gallows and the reef at North Bay, or a ferry across to Shaheed Dweep. There are no other towns to visit, and the indigenous reserves are closed to outsiders.

Bali is easier with children, as long as you base yourself in Sanur or Nusa Dua. There you get calm lagoons, resort kids' clubs and flat beachfront paths, and the water park, safari park and Monkey Forest are close enough for outings. Watch for traffic, rips on the surf beaches and stomach upsets.

The Andamans give children shallow water and glass-bottom boats over the reef, and very little else. Choppy ferry crossings, constant heat and basic healthcare away from Port Blair make them harder going with very young children.

Neither is easy, but the Andamans are simpler to manage. You fly into Port Blair, and catamarans reach Swaraj Dweep or Shaheed Dweep in one or two hours. Once there, an autorickshaw, scooter or bicycle on quiet roads covers everything. The risks are sold-out seats in busy months and sailings cancelled in rough seas, so leave room in your plans.

Bali has no public transport a visitor can really use. The roads between the airport, Canggu and Uluwatu are clogged for much of the day, and a trip north crosses the mountains on long, winding roads. Most visitors rely on drivers or ride-hailing, since riding a scooter here is only for experienced riders.

Bali is the place to shop, though for crafts and design rather than brands. Villages on the road to Ubud specialise in silver at Celuk, woodcarving at Mas and stone carving at Batubulan. Seminyak and Canggu have island-made linen, ceramics and furniture.

On the Andamans, there is Aberdeen Bazaar and the government emporia selling cane work and pearl jewellery. Remember that coral and shells cannot leave the islands.

Bali gives more comfort for the money. Pool villas, warung meals, massages and a driver by the day are all cheap, and prices fall further inland and on the east and north coasts. The expensive side is the beach clubs and clifftop resorts of the south-west.

Basic Andaman travel is cheap too, with local meals, huts and government ferries. But the flight in, fast catamarans, dive courses and the limited supply of beach rooms make a comfortable stay costly, especially around December and January.

Bali has living performance traditions that are easy to see. Ubud's palace courtyards stage Legong, Barong and shadow puppetry to gamelan almost every night, and the Kecak is chanted at sunset above Uluwatu. In the dry season, the Bali Arts Festival in Denpasar brings village troupes into competition.

The Andamans have no theatres or music venues. A winter tourism festival in Port Blair and the occasional hotel band are about all there is.

Bali is one of the world's great places to slow down. Ubud's valleys are full of yoga and meditation retreats and spas overlooking rice fields and river gorges, and Balinese massage costs little at every level. Add the dragon-spout pools at Banjar and a ritual bath at Tirta Empul, and you have more than enough for a dedicated retreat.

The Andamans relax you through quiet rather than treatments. Shaheed Dweep's village pace and early nights are restful, and some Swaraj Dweep resorts offer Ayurvedic massage and a little yoga.