Colonia del Sacramento or Punta del Este?

This is Punta del Este's home ground. Playa Mansa offers calm, shallow water for easy swimming and Playa Brava has Atlantic waves, and beyond them a string of wide beaches runs past La Barra and Manantiales, each with its own crowd.

Colonia's beaches face the brown, waveless Río de la Plata. The water is pleasantly warm in midsummer, but algae can rule out swimming in hot spells. They are good for a paddle and a sunset, but they are not a reason to choose the town.

Both serve the Uruguayan repertoire of wood-fired parrilla, chivito and milanesa, but Punta del Este offers more range. Fish and seafood land at the port on the peninsula, and in summer polished dining rooms open in La Barra and José Ignacio, with winery lunches among the Garzón hills.

Colonia's appeal is the setting: courtyard tables under plane trees, dinner facing the river at sunset, and Tannat from nearby Carmelo. The choice is smaller, though, and many places cater to day-trippers.

Colonia is far ahead here. Its old town was founded by the Portuguese in 1680, and the walls, the Calle de los Suspiros, the rebuilt Portón de Campo and the convent ruins under the lighthouse still show a century of rivalry with Spain. Small museums, the basilica and the Moorish-style bullring at Real de San Carlos fill out a rewarding day.

Punta del Este is a 20th-century resort. Its highlight is Páez Vilaró's white Casapueblo on the cliffs at Punta Ballena, and the rest is a short list of the hand sculpture, the lighthouse and a private art museum.

From Christmas to the end of January, Punta del Este becomes the region's party town. People eat late and the bars fill after midnight, the clubs in La Barra run past dawn, and beach clubs host afternoon parties for a young, dressed-up crowd.

Colonia offers a wine bar or a small pub after dinner, and the streets are quiet well before late. Its nearest real nightlife is in Buenos Aires, across the river.

Punta del Este has much more to do outdoors. Boats run to the sea lion colony on Isla de Lobos, southern right whales pass in spring, the lagoons near José Ignacio suit kayaking and birdwatching, and La Barra has reliable surf.

Colonia's outdoors comes down to the flat riverside rambla, which is lovely by bike at sunset, plus some calm-day kayaking. Inland there is cattle country rather than trails or wildlife.

Colonia has the more striking day out: a fast ferry of about an hour to Buenos Aires, with border formalities handled at a single desk. Closer to home there are family wineries around Carmelo, Swiss-founded Nueva Helvecia and the British-built mining village of Conchillas.

Punta del Este's outings are good but closer to home. Montevideo is about two hours west, and old-fashioned Piriápolis, José Ignacio and the restored village of Pueblo Garzón are nearer. Colonia itself is too far from Punta del Este for a day trip and is better kept for an overnight stay.

Punta del Este makes the easier beach vacation with children. The Mansa side has shallow, calm water, the summer crowd is largely local families with children up late, and sea lion boat trips add some excitement, though parents should watch the currents on the Atlantic side.

Colonia is safe and small, and children enjoy riding golf carts along the river, but it fills a few days rather than a week. Pushchairs struggle on the cobbles.

Colonia is much simpler to get around. The ferry terminal and bus station are a few minutes' walk from the old town, and a hired bike or golf cart covers the flat road out to the beaches and Real de San Carlos.

In Punta del Este only the peninsula is walkable. The resort stretches for many kilometres along the coast, so anyone staying past La Barra, or heading for the wineries and beach clubs, usually ends up hiring a car or using taxis in slow summer traffic.

Both sell leather, wool and mate gourds, but Punta del Este has proper shopping too: fashion chains along Avenida Gorlero, a large mall, designer boutiques in season, and homeware and linen shops in La Barra and José Ignacio. Much of it closes once summer ends.

Colonia offers craft shops, antiques and weekend stalls in the old town, which is enough for a souvenir mate set and not much more.

Neither town is cheap, since Uruguay costs more than most of the region, but Colonia is the gentler on the wallet. Guesthouses a few streets from the old town cost noticeably less, and most sights are free or close to it.

Punta del Este in January is priced for wealthy Argentines and Brazilians, from rentals to beach-club loungers. December, March and the shoulder months bring room rates down sharply.

Neither town is a place for a regular theatre or concert season. Punta del Este has more to offer in summer: a long-established international jazz festival every January on a country estate, chamber concerts around José Ignacio and touring Argentine shows.

Colonia has occasional events in its restored riverside bastion and a guitarist or tango set in some restaurants. For proper opera or tango, people take the ferry to Buenos Aires.

Colonia comes out ahead because its quiet lasts all year. It is a small town with little traffic in the old quarter. When the afternoon visitors drift away, the evenings belong to a glass of wine and the river at dusk, whatever the month. A few hotel spas and countryside winery stays with pools add treatments if you want them.

In Punta del Este the restful side depends on the calendar. In January the beaches, beach clubs and coast road are packed. Its pine-shaded streets and the slow lagoon country past José Ignacio only feel peaceful in the shoulder months. Resort spas and summer yoga studios do not make up for that, and neither town has thermal water or a bathing tradition.