Coron or Manila?

Coron is the beach destination of the two, though the beaches are not in town. The harbour front has no sand, so beach days mean a boat out to islets and sandbars such as Malcapuya and Banana Island. Swimming in Kayangan Lake, the Twin Lagoon and Barracuda Lake adds to the days on the water, which are the reason to come.

In Manila, the bayfront along Roxas Boulevard is for watching the sunset, not for swimming. The nearest decent sand, in Batangas or on the Bataan coast, is two to three hours by road. Many travellers pass through Manila on their way to places like Coron.

Manila is the place to eat. It has dumpling houses and hopia bakeries in Binondo, lechon, sisig and kare-kare at the carinderias, and chefs reworking Filipino cooking in Makati, Poblacion and BGC. That gives it a range Coron does not try to offer.

Coron's food is simpler: grilled fish, kinilaw and adobo in town, plus the lunches cooked on the island-hopping boats, which many visitors remember best. The two share adobo and sinigang, but only Manila is worth planning meals around.

Manila has the sights. There are the ramparts of Intramuros, Fort Santiago, the baroque San Agustin Church and the National Museum with Luna's Spoliarium, plus Quiapo and the art deco buildings of Escolta for anyone with more time.

Coron's history is real but mostly underwater, in the Japanese supply ships sunk in 1944. On land there are the Tagbanua ancestral lands of Coron Island and a plain parish church. Divers see more of Coron's past than anyone else does.

This is one of the biggest differences between the two. Manila goes out late, from Poblacion's small cocktail bars and rooftops to the big clubs of BGC, with karaoke everywhere and casino resorts on the bay. Coron has a handful of bars on the main road where the dive crowd swaps stories, and most people are asleep early, ready for the morning boats.

Coron is built around its landscape. It has the black limestone walls of Coron Island, hidden lakes reached by kayak, coral channels and about a dozen wartime wrecks. Further afield there are dugongs off northern Busuanga and the giraffes of Calauit, a long road trip north.

Manila's nature starts once you get beyond the city sprawl. Options include the view over Taal's volcano in its lake from Tagaytay, the Masungi trails, early-morning hikes up Pico de Loro and reef diving at Anilao. Every one of these needs an early start to beat the traffic.

Manila has the wider spread of outings. You can take the ferry to Corregidor's tunnels and gun batteries, visit Tagaytay above Taal, see the old Laguna towns and the hot springs of Los Baños, or head to Pampanga for its cooking. Traffic limits how many of these fit into one trip.

From Coron the only real town trip is the boat to Culion, the former leper colony with its fort church and museum. Everything else is islands and reefs, which are Coron's main attraction rather than day trips.

Neither city is easy with small children, but Manila copes better. Its malls have ice rinks, play areas and cinemas, Manila Ocean Park and the free natural history museum fill hot afternoons, and Intramuros can be toured by calesa. Outdoors it is harder, with broken pavements and long hours in traffic.

Coron suits older children who swim well and enjoy boats, as the sandbars and snorkelling spots are gentle. With toddlers it is hard work: the steps up to Kayangan Lake are slippery, the sun is strong, there are no playgrounds and medical care is basic.

Both are awkward to get around, in different ways. Manila has elevated rail lines and cheap ride-hailing cars, so it is slightly easier to reach what you want. But the city is huge and the roads jam, so most visitors stick to one district a day. Makati, BGC and Intramuros are pleasant on foot.

Coron's town is small but hot, has few pavements and is full of tricycles. Everything worth doing needs a boat booked through a tour desk or hotel, and the airport is about forty minutes away by van.

Manila is a serious shopping city, mostly indoors. It has huge malls on the bayfront, in Ortigas and at the Ayala Center, open-air high streets in BGC, and bargains in Divisoria and Greenhills. Pearls, piña weaving and dried mangoes are good things to take home.

Coron has souvenir stalls, shell jewellery, bags of cashews and spare snorkel gear, and little else.

Both are inexpensive, and Manila is slightly cheaper. Street food, carinderias, jeepneys and ride-hailing cost little, and the National Museum is free. Only Makati and BGC push the bill up.

Coron can be cheap if you stay in guesthouses and take shared boat tours. Costs build up with the domestic flight, the entrance fees at each lake and lagoon, wreck diving, private boats and the island resorts.

Manila is the only one of the two with real performing arts. The Cultural Center of the Philippines is home to the Philharmonic and Ballet Philippines, folk companies perform the tinikling, and musicals are staged in English. Skilled bands play in bars in Makati and Quezon City most nights. In Coron the most you will find is an acoustic set in a bar or an occasional show at a resort.

Coron is the more restful choice, though not in town. The saltwater pools of the Maquinit hot spring, at the edge of the mangroves, are ideal for an evening after a day on the boats. The island resorts add spas, hammocks and quiet water, well away from the tricycles on the main road.

In Manila, relaxing mostly happens indoors, with hilot massage using banana leaves and coconut oil, or a full hotel spa. For hot springs or cooler air you need Los Baños or Tagaytay, a couple of hours out of the city.