Coron or Davao?

Neither city has a beach in town, so both send you out by boat. In Coron those trips go to sandbars and islets such as Malcapuya, Banana Island and Bulog Dos, and the swims inside Coron Island at Kayangan Lake, Twin Lagoon and Barracuda Lake give it far more variety and drama.

Davao's beaches are on Samal, only minutes across the strait, with golden and white sand, coral close to shore and sheltered water with no surf. They are easier to reach and easier to stay at for a few nights, but they lack Coron's limestone setting.

Coron keeps food simple: grilled fish, adobo, kinilaw and traveller pizzas, and the meal most people remember is the grilled-fish lunch on a boat trip. Davao gives you much more to explore.

There you find tuna jaw and belly from the gulf, durian, mangosteen and marang at the late stalls on Magsaysay Avenue, evening food on Roxas Avenue, and chocolate and coffee from local cacao and highland farms. Neither is a dining destination, but Davao keeps a food-minded traveller interested for several evenings.

Both have a Second World War story, told in different ways. Coron's is under the sea in its sunken Japanese supply ships, and on land there is little beyond the Mount Tapyas viewpoint and a plain parish church.

Davao offers a real afternoon of sightseeing: San Pedro Cathedral, the Museo Dabawenyo and Davao Museum on the city's Lumad, Moro, Visayan and Japanese roots, the Lon Wa Buddhist temple and wartime Japanese tunnels. That is still modest, but it is more than Coron has.

Davao has the livelier evenings, though not by much. It has bars with cover bands, grill-and-beer places, a few clubs around Matina and Lanang, and a student crowd near the universities. Strict rules on public drinking and smoking still send most people home fairly early. Coron's evenings are a few roadside bars where divers trade stories over a beer before turning in for the morning boats.

Coron's nature is the reason most people go. It has sheer limestone cliffs with hidden lakes, coral channels, and about a dozen Japanese wrecks, some shallow enough to see with a snorkel. On land it has less, though Calauit's giraffes and the dugongs off northern Busuanga are unusual sights.

Davao's strengths are on land. Mount Apo, the country's highest peak, is a climb of two or three days, and the Malagos and Marilog uplands have cool forest trails, while the Monfort Bat Sanctuary and reef diving off Samal and Talikud add variety. It covers a wider range, but nothing matches Coron's sea.

Neither works well as a base for visiting other towns. From Coron there is really only Culion, a boat ride away, with its fort church and its museum on the town's past as a leper colony. Davao has slightly more choice. Samal and the highland gardens make easy days out, while the surf at Mati and the forests of Mount Hamiguitan are far enough away to need an overnight stay.

Davao is much the easier of the two with children. The Philippine Eagle Center shows them the national bird up close, the Crocodile Park has animal shows, and Eden Nature Park has zip lines and horse rides in cooler air. Samal has shallow water for small swimmers, and the malls offer shade on hot afternoons.

Coron suits only older children who swim well and enjoy long days on boats. The steps to Kayangan Lake are steep, there are no playgrounds, and serious medical care means a flight to Manila.

Davao is more spread out, but it is easier to get around. It has no rail line, but there are plenty of metered taxis known for honest fares, along with ride-hailing apps, and Samal is a short boat crossing away. Coron's town is small but has few pavements and is full of tricycles. Everything you go for there depends on boats booked through tour desks, and the airport is a forty-minute van ride across Busuanga.

Coron offers little beyond T-shirts, shell jewellery and bags of Busuanga cashews. Davao has far more. Its big malls in Lanang and Bajada cover chain fashion and electronics, and Mindanao crafts give you things worth bringing home: malong and dagmay textiles, T'boli brass and beadwork, pearls from the gulf, and chocolate made from Davao cacao.

Both are cheap at the basic level, but Davao stays cheap even when you want some comfort. Its comfortable mid-range hotels, local meals and metered taxis cost little, and only Samal resorts, diving and guided Apo climbs add much to the bill.

In Coron the extras come sooner. Each lake and lagoon charges its own fee, private boats and wreck dives are expensive, the island resorts are priced for international guests, and getting there usually means a domestic flight.

Coron has nothing in this category beyond a guitarist in a bar or an occasional resort show. Davao is not much busier most of the year, with cover bands and the odd touring concert. In August, though, the Kadayawan festival fills the streets with dancing and performances by Mindanao's indigenous and Muslim communities, which is worth planning a visit around.

Coron is a little better for unwinding, mainly because of the Maquinit hot spring, where warm saltwater pools at the edge of the mangroves make a good end to a day on the boats. Its island resorts also offer real quiet away from the noisy town.

Davao has no bathing tradition, but it has cheap hilot massage, spas at the Samal resorts and lodges in the cooler Malagos and Marilog highlands. In both places the restful stays are outside the city itself.