Cancun or Acapulco?

Both cities are beach destinations first, but Cancun's beach is the finer one. It has 22km of pale coral sand and turquoise Caribbean water, with calm shallows on the bay side facing Isla Mujeres, and nothing on Acapulco's stretch of the Pacific quite matches it.

Acapulco has a sandy bay with warm water and sheltered coves at Caleta, Caletilla and Puerto Marqués. However, the main bay turns murky after rain, and Revolcadero and Pie de la Cuesta are too rough for safe swimming. Cancun's eastern shore has strong currents too, but the calm bay side is never far away.

Acapulco has the edge for eating, because its coastal Guerrero dishes are easy to find where they are made. There is whole fish grilled over wood at the palapas of Barra Vieja, ceviche in a tomato sauce, and the Thursday ritual of pozole verde.

Cancun's Yucatecan cooking, such as cochinita pibil, sopa de lima and habanero salsas, is a cuisine of its own. Along the Hotel Zone, though, it is crowded out by buffets and international menus. Eating well there means taking the bus downtown to Parque de las Palapas and Mercado 28. In both cities, fine dining is mostly limited to the hotels.

Neither city is a cultural destination, but Acapulco has more history you can actually visit. The Fuerte de San Diego, which once guarded the Manila galleons, the cliff divers at La Quebrada, Diego Rivera's mosaics and the cathedral with its unusual domes make a full day out. The mid-century villas also recall the city's jet-set years.

Cancun was built from the 1970s onwards. Its own sights come down to the Maya Museum and a few small ruins, which fill an afternoon at most. Its real heritage is at the great Maya sites inland, and those are day trips rather than part of the city.

Cancun's nights are a little bigger and keep going for more of the year. The Party Center, at the bend of the Hotel Zone, has huge clubs with acrobatic shows and open-bar wristbands, and they stay full until four or five in the morning.

Acapulco's scene is older and spread along the Costera, with beach bars, terraces and hillside clubs above the bay. It is at its fullest when crowds drive down from Mexico City for long weekends, Easter and Christmas, and it can feel half empty midweek at other times. Both are loud and mainstream. In Cancun, the downtown bars around Avenida Tulum give you a more local alternative.

Cancun offers more outdoors, and nearly all of it is in the water. There is the Mesoamerican Reef off Puerto Morelos and Isla Mujeres, the underwater sculptures of MUSA, the cenotes inland, whale sharks from June to September and kayaking in the Nichupte mangroves.

Acapulco has the more dramatic setting, a deep horseshoe bay ringed by green hills. It also has snorkelling at Roqueta, a long tradition of sailfish and marlin fishing, and boat rides through the Coyuca mangroves. Hiking is poor in both: Cancun's land is flat scrub, and the Sierra Madre behind Acapulco has few trails.

This is where the two cities differ most. From Cancun you can reach Chichen Itza, Coba, Ek Balam and colonial Valladolid. Isla Mujeres is a short ferry ride away, and Playa del Carmen and Tulum are down the coast, which is enough for several good days out.

From Acapulco, the easy outings are half days to the lagoons at Pie de la Cuesta and Barra Vieja. The silver town of Taxco is about three hours inland and really needs an overnight stay.

Cancun is the better choice with children. It has calm bay beaches, resort kids' clubs, an aquarium and eco-parks built around underground rivers and lagoons, and its shallow reef water makes a first snorkel easy.

Acapulco has the gentle family coves of Caleta and Caletilla, the boat ride to Roqueta, the CICI water park and Papagayo Park. Still, the heat, the traffic on the Costera and the dangerous surf on the open beaches mean that most families stay inside their resort.

Getting around takes about the same effort in both cities: each has one long coastal boulevard, cheap buses and plenty of taxis, and walking works only for short stretches. In Acapulco, the steep hills and the long distance between the old town and Diamante make taxis the usual choice, especially after dark. Cancun sits on flat land, ADO coaches and ferries serve the coast and the islands, and the straight roads make a hire car easy.

Neither city is worth a trip for the shopping, though Cancun has a little more choice. Its air-conditioned malls along the Hotel Zone carry international fashion, luxury labels and duty-free, and the stalls of Mercado 28 sell crafts from across the country.

In Acapulco, the best buy is Taxco silver or Olinalá lacquerware from the artisan market near the old town. Beyond that, there are the chain malls in Diamante. Expect to bargain in the markets of both cities.

Acapulco is cheaper by a wide margin because it is priced for Mexican vacationers. Older beach-view hotels on the Costera, seafood lunches and local buses cost little, and even the all-inclusives are good value. Only Diamante, Las Brisas and the peak vacation weeks push costs up.

Cancun's Hotel Zone is priced for international visitors, and tours to the ruins and eco-parks quickly add up. Costs drop sharply if you stay or eat downtown, but that means leaving the beach behind.

Neither city is a place for an evening of theatre, but Acapulco has a little more live music of its own. Mariachi bands and guitar trios play in the seafood restaurants and around the zócalo, touring Latin pop stars perform in Diamante, and the Acapulco Philharmonic plays occasional concerts. In Cancun, almost all performance is staged for visitors: folkloric dinner shows, resort entertainment and the large evening shows at the eco-parks.

Cancun is the better place to unwind. The Hotel Zone resorts have large spas with hydrotherapy circuits, and the temazcal, a Maya sweat lodge ritual, is a local tradition that Acapulco has no match for. Isla Mujeres and Puerto Morelos are close by if you want somewhere quiet.

In Acapulco, spas are found mainly in the big resorts of Diamante and Las Brisas and in a few clifftop hotels. The noise of the Costera reaches most of the city, so for real rest stay at the east end of the bay or at Pie de la Cuesta.