Bohol or Boracay?

Both islands have fine white sand and equally warm water, but Boracay's beach is in another league. White Beach runs for about 4km of soft sand into gently sloping, shallow water. The northern end has the widest sand and the southern end is quieter, and when the monsoon roughens the west side, the sheltered east-coast coves take over.

Bohol's beach life centres on Panglao, where Alona is narrow and goes shallow and weedy at low tide. The better sand is at Dumaluan, Doljo or the long, empty shore at Anda. Bohol's strength lies offshore, with the Virgin Island sandbar and Balicasag's coral a boat ride away.

Neither island is a food destination, and both rely on grilled seafood and international menus for resort guests. Boracay edges ahead thanks to D'Talipapa, where you choose prawns, crab or fish at the market and have them cooked next door, and because it has more beachfront tables to choose from.

Bohol's best eating is local and plain: kinilaw and grilled squid in Tagbilaran canteens. It also has better sweets to take home, such as calamay in coconut shells and peanut kisses.

Bohol has some history to see and Boracay has almost none. A day's loop on Bohol takes in the Spanish coral-stone churches at Baclayon, Loboc, Dauis and Loon, some still marked by the 2013 earthquake, along with the Blood Compact monument and a small national museum in Tagbilaran.

Boracay has no museums or historic buildings and only a couple of village chapels. The Ati people's culture is hard for a visitor to see.

Boracay is the island for going out. After sunset the bars around Station 2 turn the music up, fire dancers perform on the sand, and some clubs run past midnight, mainly in high season. The music is mostly chart hits, but it is a real night out.

Bohol's nights are limited to the beach bars of Alona, with tables on the sand and the occasional fire show, and the crowd of divers and couples is usually gone well before the small hours.

Bohol has far more to explore on land. Its interior has more than a thousand grassy mounds that make up the Chocolate Hills, protected forest where tarsiers live, the Loboc River, the Bilar mahogany forest, and the waterfalls and caves around Anda. At sea there are Balicasag's walls, macro diving at Cabilao and dolphin trips off Pamilacan.

Boracay is small and low, and its one hill, Mount Luho, gives a view over both coasts. Its outdoor life is on the water: kitesurfing on Bulabog's lagoon from November to April, sunset paraw sails and snorkelling stops.

Bohol's ferry links give it a real edge here. Fast boats from Tagbilaran reach Cebu City's old Spanish quarter or relaxed university-town Dumaguete in about two hours, Siquijor makes a long day out, and the quiet south-east coast around Anda is a pleasant drive.

From Boracay there is little beyond Carabao Island's fishing villages and the plain provincial town of Kalibo, so most visitors never leave the island.

For families the two islands come out about even, with the same warm welcome for children and the same lack of zoos or aquariums. On Bohol, the countryside day of tarsiers, hills, a river float and the Danao adventure park suits older children. The downsides are long drives and constant heat.

Boracay is better for toddlers in the dry season, when White Beach slopes gently into shallow water. The monsoon surf and the long journey to get there count against it.

Once you arrive, Boracay is far easier. A sandy path runs the length of White Beach, and electric tricycles cover longer hops, although each arrival and departure takes most of a day with flight, van, boat and tricycle.

On Bohol the airport is right on Panglao, but beyond Alona almost nothing can be walked. The Chocolate Hills are about an hour and a half away by road, and seeing the island means hiring a driver, scooter or tricycle.

Both islands are weak for shopping, so neither is worth choosing for it. Boracay's D'Mall lanes sell beachwear, sarongs and shell jewellery. Bohol has more genuine local crafts, with woven baskets and mats from Antequera and coconut sweets at the tourist stops.

Bohol is the cheaper of the two. Local eateries, tricycles and simple guesthouses cost little, and only Panglao's beachfront resorts, private drivers and diving raise the bill much.

Boracay costs more than most of the Philippines. Beachfront hotels at the northern end are expensive and prices climb sharply from Christmas to Easter, while island fees and transfers add up. Guesthouses a few lanes back from the beach, market seafood and beach massages help keep spending modest.

Neither island has any theatre or concert life. Boracay has a little more to fill an evening, with reggae and acoustic cover bands in the beach bars and nightly fire dancing.

Bohol's live performance is occasional. The Loboc Children's Choir sometimes sings in its home town, there are folk dances on the river cruises, and the Sandugo festival brings street dancing once a year.

For unwinding, the two islands are much alike: cheap massage everywhere, hilot treatments in resort spas and no bathing tradition. On Bohol the quiet comes from distance, with long reading days at Anda or Doljo and early nights.

Boracay adds yoga classes on rooftops and on the sand, but a restful stay depends on choosing your base. The northern and southern ends of White Beach and the coves above Diniwid stay calm, while the busy middle around Station 2 is loud with music and touts well into the night.