Byron Bay or Tulum?

Both coasts are worth the journey on their own, and they differ in character rather than quality. Byron gives you variety within walking distance: patrolled surf beaches by the centre, the point break at The Pass, little Wategos and long empty arcs like Tallow. The water is cooler and the rips are serious.

Tulum offers warm, calm Caribbean water over pale sand, turquoise close to shore, with the ruins standing above it. The trade-offs are the sargassum that piles up in some warm seasons and the few kilometres between town and sea, so most days begin with a bike ride.

Byron eats from its farms, Tulum from a regional kitchen. In Byron the day revolves around coffee, long brunches and hinterland produce such as macadamias, avocados and grass-fed beef, and a few ambitious farm restaurants lie out towards Bangalow. After dark there is little street food and not much late dining.

Tulum has Yucatecan dishes to seek out. Cochinita pibil, sopa de lima and achiote-grilled fish turn up at the taco stands and fondas in town, while the beach road serves fire-cooked dinners where the candlelit setting often matters more than the plate. In both towns the range is narrow and many menus look alike.

Tulum has the stronger draw for anyone interested in the past. Its walled Maya port, with El Castillo on the clifftop above the sea, is a site of real importance that you can see in an easy morning, and the town makes a natural base for the larger Maya cities inland.

In Byron the sights stop at the Cape Byron lighthouse, on the easternmost point of mainland Australia. The Arakwal Bumberlin heritage of the cape runs deep, but you meet it on a guided walk rather than at any monument.

Tulum goes out harder. It has an international name for electronic music, with DJ sets in jungle clearings, beach clubs that keep going after sunset and full-moon parties, especially through winter. The big nights are costly, and you need to keep your wits about you getting home.

Byron's evenings are smaller and more casual: sunset drinks, big beer gardens near Main Beach and a few late venues full of backpackers, mostly winding down soon after midnight.

These two are about even outdoors, but the landscapes could hardly be more different. Byron has height and forest. The cape track climbs over the clifftops, whales pass from June to November, Julian Rocks is just offshore for diving, and the old volcanic caldera inland holds waterfalls and rainforest in Nightcap National Park and the Border Ranges.

Tulum is flat, and its wonders lie underwater. Cenotes such as Gran Cenote and Dos Ojos offer world-class cavern snorkelling and cave diving, and the Sian Ka'an lagoons and mangroves are explored by boat. For hiking, though, there is next to nothing.

From Tulum the excursions really are worth taking. Coba's forest pyramid is under an hour away, and a longer day pairs Chichen Itza with Valladolid or Ek Balam. Cozumel is a ferry ride from Playa del Carmen, and Bacalar's lagoon is within reach.

Byron's outings are gentler: hinterland towns such as Bangalow, Mullumbimby and Nimbin, the art gallery at Murwillumbah, or the Gold Coast's theme parks. They make a nice change of pace, but few would plan a trip around them.

Both work for families, as long as the plan is centred on water. Byron is the simpler base: a small, safe town with patrolled beaches, rock pools, calmer water at The Pass and Wategos, and vacation houses that fit a family. For theme parks, though, you drive about an hour to the Gold Coast, and the surf needs watching.

Tulum offers more ready-made excitement for children, with turtles at Akumal, clear cenote pools and the eco-parks at Xel-Ha and Xcaret close by. The flip side is a beach strip aimed at couples and partygoers, plus heat and mosquitoes, so a rental with a pool and a car helps.

Byron Bay is easier on foot. The centre is small and flat, with Main Beach, Clarkes and Belongil a short walk away and bike paths along the coast, although the hinterland still means hiring a car.

Tulum is spread along a highway, with the town, the sea and the hotel strip kilometres apart. Bicycles cover the short hops, but the roads are dark at night, the taxis are pricey and colectivos only run along the highway. Most visitors end up hiring a car or booking tours.

Both towns sell a similar relaxed linen look, but Byron gives you a little more to do. Local labels, surfwear and swimwear line its central blocks, and makers' studios in the Arts and Industry Estate and the artisan markets add handmade pieces.

Tulum's boutiques on the beach road are lovely to browse but small and expensive. The better buys are on the main avenue in town, where you'll find embroidered huipiles, hammocks and silver.

Tulum leaves more room for a budget. Stay in the town centre, eat at the taco stands and rent a bicycle, and a trip stays affordable, although the separate entry fees for cenotes and parks add up. The beach road and the jungle strip are a different matter, with resort prices throughout.

Byron is harder on the wallet. Accommodation is expensive and rises again in summer and on festival weekends, and only hostels and campsites really save money. On the plus side, its beaches, the cape walk and the waterfalls are free.

Byron's pub stages give it the edge. Original songwriters and roots and surf-rock acts play the beer gardens near the beach, the community centre's small theatre hosts touring comedy and music, and the long-running writers' festival brings readings to town each year. For opera, ballet or an orchestra you still have to go to Brisbane or the Gold Coast.

In Tulum, live music mostly means acoustic sets in bars on the main avenue or musicians playing alongside the DJs. Traditional dance turns up mainly as a staged show at the eco-parks.

Wellness runs through both towns, and the real difference is in what you do there. Byron offers yoga classes throughout the day, breathwork and sound healing, with residential retreats in the green hills. It has no bathing tradition, and its winter is the calmest time.

Tulum adds the temazcal, the Maya sweat lodge, to its shalas and open-air spas, and the southern beach strip moves at a hammock-swinging pace. Party nights and highway noise can break the calm, so choose where you stay carefully.