Dahab or Sharm el-Sheikh?

Sharm el-Sheikh is the stronger beach destination. Naama Bay has a conventional sandy bay. Along Sharks Bay, Ras Um Sid and the Nabq coast, resort beaches with sunbeds have wooden jetties that carry you over the reef flat to the drop-off. The trade-off is that most beaches belong to hotels and many are small or partly man-made.

Dahab's shoreline is rockier and less made for lying in the sun. Along the promenade and at the Lighthouse and Eel Garden, you climb down a ladder from a café or step off the rocks straight onto the coral, so swimming here means snorkelling. The Lagoon in the south is the one place with soft sand and calm, shallow water.

Neither town is a reason to travel for food, but they eat in different ways. In Dahab you eat out: grilled fish chosen from the ice on the waterfront, cheap foul and koshary in Assala, and plenty of pizza and smoothie bowls for backpackers.

In Sharm, most meals are hotel buffets, and the restaurants in Naama Bay serve international food aimed at tourists. The Old Market plays the part Assala does in Dahab, with grilled fish, ful and taameya, and mint tea late into the evening.

Neither town has much to see. Dahab has no monuments at all, and its Bedouin roots show in Assala and the tea stops around town rather than in anything you can visit. Sharm at least has two buildings worth a short visit: the Al Sahaba Mosque in the Old Market, lit up at night, and the painted interior of the Heavenly Cathedral. Real heritage in both cases means a long trip inland.

Sharm el-Sheikh is clearly the place for going out. Naama Bay has a promenade of bars and shisha lounges, a few large clubs that stay open late, and DJ nights at beach bars, at their liveliest in peak season.

Dahab's evenings end early. A beer or a shisha on cushions by the water, a handful of promenade bars and the odd party night are about it. With so many people up at dawn to dive, the town is usually quiet well before midnight.

Both sit on some of the finest reefs anywhere, and Dahab has the edge because so much of it is right on its doorstep. The Canyon and the Blue Hole are shore dives a short ride from town, windsurfers and kitesurfers use the steady wind on the Lagoon, and the granite mountains rise directly behind the houses. Ras Abu Galum, the Coloured Canyon and the night climb of Mount Sinai are all within easy reach.

Sharm's best nature mostly involves a boat. Ras Mohammed, about 30km south, has sheer reef walls and the Thistlegorm wreck nearby, and the Tiran Strait reefs are a short trip out. On land there are quad-bike trips into the desert and the mangroves at Nabq.

The two are much the same here: both have one great excursion and little else. St Catherine's Monastery and the sunrise climb of Mount Sinai are the highlight from either town, and Dahab is about an hour closer.

After that, Sharm's options are a relaxed day in Dahab or long tours to Cairo, Luxor or Petra with very early starts. Dahab's nearby alternatives are Sharm's malls or quiet Nuweiba, so most outings from Dahab head into the desert or out to sea instead.

Sharm el-Sheikh is far better set up for children. Big resorts have kids' clubs, family pools and water slides, glass-bottom boats suit those who would rather stay dry, and the lagoons are gentle places to learn to snorkel. Choosing the right hotel matters more than the town itself.

Dahab can work for children who are confident swimmers, with the Lagoon's sandy shallows, reefs straight off the shore and camel rides. But nothing there is made for children, and serious medical care means a trip to Sharm.

Getting around is awkward in both towns, but in different ways. Dahab's life fits along a car-free seafront promenade about 2km long, so many visitors walk everywhere for days. The Blue Hole, the Lagoon and Assala need a taxi or a pickup, and arriving means a road transfer of about an hour from the airport at Sharm.

Sharm sprawls for about 30km along the coast, and only Naama Bay is pleasant to walk. Shared minibuses on the main road, hotel shuttles and taxis with fares agreed in advance fill the gaps, which is why so many visitors stay inside their resort.

Sharm el-Sheikh has more to offer, though it is still mostly souvenirs. The Old Market and Naama Bay sell perfume oils, papyrus, alabaster and galabiyas, with persistent haggling, and a few modern shopping centres stock beachwear and familiar brands.

Dahab has only the stalls along its promenade, selling scarves, Bedouin embroidery and spices. Dive and freediving equipment is the one thing really worth buying there.

Dahab is the cheaper place to stay. Simple guesthouses and camps, Egyptian meals in Assala, cheap taxis and inexpensive dive courses let people stay for weeks without spending much. Only the waterfront restaurants and alcohol add up.

Sharm is good value mainly if you stay inside an all-inclusive hotel. Once you step outside, taxis need haggling, restaurants in Naama Bay charge close to European prices, and diving and excursions quickly add up.

Neither town has a theatre, a concert hall or a local music scene. What little there is differs in style. Sharm stages dinner shows with belly dancing and whirling tanoura dancers for package tourists. In Dahab, the closest thing is Bedouin music around a fire at a desert camp, or a band or DJ in a promenade bar.

The two offer different kinds of rest, and Dahab's slower pace gives it a slight edge for switching off. Life there revolves around cushioned seafront cafés, cheap yoga and massage, and a long-stay community built around breathwork and freediving. Anyone after pampering will find spas only in the few larger hotels.

Sharm's relaxation happens inside the resort. Most large hotels have a spa with steam rooms and hammam-style scrub-and-foam treatments, and the rest of the day is spent by the pool.