Clearwater or Miami?

The two beaches are equally good, but they're different in kind. Clearwater looks west over the Gulf, so you get the sunsets over the water, and the sand slopes so gently that you can wade a long way out. The wilder stretches are on Caladesi and Honeymoon Islands, both state parks with no development.

Miami's strip faces east onto the Atlantic and is lined with buildings almost all the way from South Beach to Surfside. Its advantage is the water temperature, warm enough for a swim even in midwinter. Key Biscayne has the calmest and shallowest water, but in the warmer months sargassum seaweed can wash up on the shore.

Miami is the much better place to eat. Cuban food is the base: cafecito from ventanita windows, croquetas and lechon. On top of that there are arepas, ceviche, griot in Little Haiti, and a serious upscale tier in Brickell and the Design District.

Clearwater keeps to a short coastal menu: grouper sandwiches at the dockside shacks, shrimp baskets and smoked fish spread. Much of the beachfront is chain restaurants, so the best meal nearby is often the Greek tavernas in Tarpon Springs.

Miami gives you far more to see. The Art Deco Historic District is a sight in its own right, best explored on foot along Ocean Drive, and Vizcaya's villa and gardens on Biscayne Bay are worth half a day. Add the Pérez and the Wolfsonian museums and the Wynwood murals, and there are a few full days of sightseeing.

Clearwater has a restored 1920s theatre and a few old buildings on the downtown bluff, but nothing to plan a day around. For art you drive to St Petersburg or Tampa.

Miami is one of the great party cities, with big South Beach clubs, international DJs and venues that stay open until dawn. There are also Wynwood's breweries, Brickell's rooftop bars and salsa nights on Calle Ocho. You'll need money and stamina.

In Clearwater the night starts with the sunset crowd at Pier 60 and usually ends early at a tiki deck with a cover band. It's only louder in spring, and people looking for clubs go to Ybor City.

Miami has the bigger landscapes. The Everglades are under an hour away, with alligators along the Anhinga Trail and airboats on the sawgrass, and you can snorkel the coral reefs of Biscayne National Park and Key Largo, which Clearwater can't match.

Clearwater's nature is smaller-scale and close at hand. You can kayak the mangrove channels, see dolphins in the harbour and manatees in winter, and walk through pine flatwoods on the state-park islands. The Pinellas Trail gives easy cycling. Both cities are completely flat, and in both, summer pushes outdoor plans to the early morning.

Clearwater has more within a day's drive, which matters because it has so little of its own. St Petersburg has the Dalí Museum, Tampa has the old cigar quarter of Ybor City, Tarpon Springs keeps its Greek sponge harbour and Sarasota has the Ringling Museum. Orlando's theme parks are about two hours away.

From Miami, the nearby towns are pleasant but rarely the main event. Palm Beach has its Gilded Age mansions and the Upper Keys make a good seafood day, but Key West is too far for a comfortable round trip in a day.

Clearwater is the easier vacation with children. The calm, shallow water has lifeguards and a playground nearby at Pier 60, the Clearwater Marine Aquarium's rescued dolphins and turtles are a big hit, and Busch Gardens and Adventure Island are both within forty minutes.

Miami has good attractions too, including Zoo Miami, the Frost Science Museum's planetarium and the Venetian Pool in Coral Gables. The drawbacks are the long drives between them, South Beach's party atmosphere and the long trip to Orlando's parks.

Neither city is easy without a car, but Miami gives you a bit more help. Its free, elevated Metromover links downtown and Brickell, the Metrorail runs from the airport, and South Beach is flat enough to explore on foot or by bike, though most visitors use ride-hailing to reach Wynwood or Little Havana.

In Clearwater you can walk around the beach and take the trolley down to Sand Key or the ferry to downtown. Almost every other outing means driving, and traffic on the causeway can back up at weekends.

Miami is a serious shopping city and Clearwater isn't. Miami has the fashion flagship stores in the Design District, the exclusive open-air mall at Bal Harbour, huge Aventura Mall and the outlets on the western edge. For something local, there are guayabera makers and cigar shops in Little Havana.

Clearwater's shopping is beachwear, souvenirs and mainland malls. The most local thing to take home is a natural sponge from Tarpon Springs.

Neither is cheap, but Clearwater is the gentler on your wallet. Mainland motels and rentals further down the coast are much cheaper than staying on the beach, and condos with kitchens help families save.

Miami's bills add up faster. Beach hotels add resort fees and parking, and South Beach club drinks are notoriously expensive. Cuban lunch counters and the free Metromover help, and in both cities summer rooms are cheaper if you can put up with the heat and storms.

Miami has the stronger stages. The Adrienne Arsht Center hosts Florida Grand Opera and touring Broadway shows, Miami City Ballet is a respected company, and the New World Symphony plays in its Frank Gehry building, with outdoor screenings on the lawn outside. Salsa and timba bands in Little Havana add music that's truly local.

Clearwater has touring acts and orchestras at Ruth Eckerd Hall and smaller concerts at the Capitol Theatre. For opera or ballet you'd drive to Tampa.

Both cities do about equally well for rest, but in different ways. Miami has grander resort spas with ocean views, yoga on the sand at sunrise and a long-established Russian and Turkish bath house. South Beach's noise works against all that, though, so for calm you'd stay on Key Biscayne or around Surfside.

Clearwater's spas are more ordinary, but the town itself is quieter: a low-rise retirement and resort town where days fall into a routine of pools and early nights. The exceptions are spring break and the heavy summer heat.