Destin or Naples, Florida?

Both are first-rate Gulf beaches, so the choice comes down to character. Destin has bright white quartz sand and clear green water. On the bay side there is the Crab Island sandbar, where boats anchor and people wade, and the quieter dune lakes of 30A are a short drive east. Rip currents are a real risk on rough days, so the flag system matters here.

In Naples the water is shallower and usually calmer, and the evening ritual is watching the sunset from the sand by the pier. The wilder stretches are to the north, at Clam Pass and Barefoot Beach, and the shelling is good. You can still paddle there in winter, which you can't in Destin, but watch out for the occasional algae bloom and shuffle your feet to avoid stingrays.

Neither is a place to travel for the food, and both are at their best with Gulf seafood. Destin is the more casual of the two: fried fish baskets and grouper sandwiches on harbour decks, some places that will cook your own catch, and a highway lined with chains. Its more ambitious cooking is out along 30A.

Naples dresses up more. Fifth Avenue South and Third Street South have white-tablecloth rooms and wine bars serving steak and Italian food, and stone crab claws appear in the cooler months. For something simpler, try the dockside fish houses around Tin City.

Neither has much history, but Naples has more to see. The Baker Museum has a decent collection of American art, and the Revs Institute's historic racing cars are a real draw for enthusiasts. Palm Cottage, the old railway depot and the Mediterranean-style streets of Old Naples can fill a pleasant day.

Destin has almost nothing beyond a small fishing museum. The prehistoric temple mound and the outdoor collection of military aircraft are next door in Fort Walton Beach.

Destin is the place for a night out. Open-air bars on the harbour boardwalk fill up on summer evenings, beach bars on Okaloosa Island draw a crowd, and a few dance floors stay open late in peak season. Some of the busiest drinking happens in the afternoon, when boats tie up together at Crab Island.

Naples goes to bed early. A glass of wine or a piano lounge on Fifth Avenue South after dinner is about as late as most evenings run, the crowd is older, and anyone wanting more drives to Fort Myers Beach.

Naples sits beside real wilderness. Big Cypress, the western Everglades and the cypress boardwalk at Corkscrew Swamp are within an hour, with alligators and wading birds. Kayaking through the mangrove channels of the Ten Thousand Islands is the best outing on either coast.

Destin's outdoors is mostly out at sea. The continental shelf lies close to shore, so deep-sea fishing charters reach big fish quickly, and the calm bay is good for paddleboarding and spotting dolphins. Both are flat, and summer heat limits long days outside in both places.

The day trips are about as good from either city, but they are different kinds of outing. From Destin you get architecture and history: the pastel planned towns of Seaside and Rosemary Beach on 30A, then Pensacola, with its colonial district, naval aviation museum and brick forts.

From Naples the outings are more about islands and old estates. There are the Edison and Ford Winter Estates in Fort Myers, shelling and cycling on Sanibel and Captiva, and the fishing settlement of Everglades City. Sarasota and Miami are each about two hours away, which is a long day.

Destin is built more around children's days out. Besides the beach there is the marine park on Okaloosa Island with its dolphin and sea-lion shows, a large water park, go-karts and small rides, and roomy condos with pools.

Naples is gentler and quieter. The shallow water suits toddlers, and the zoo with its boat tour, a children's museum and a botanical garden fill the off-beach hours, but there are no big attractions to match Destin's. The trade-off is that Destin's Gulf can bring rip currents on rough days.

You'll need a car in both. The difference is that Naples has a walkable core. If you stay in the compact grid of Old Naples, you can walk or cycle to the beach, the pier and the restaurants. In Destin almost everything is strung along one congested coastal highway with few safe crossings, so walking is limited to the harbour boardwalk and the bike trail along 30A.

Naples is the better place to shop for style. Fifth Avenue South and Third Street South have jewellers, galleries and resort-wear boutiques under the palms, and an open-air mall to the north gathers the international designer labels.

Destin is more about bargains. The big outlet centre near Miramar Beach is the main draw, along with a chain-store mall and swimwear shops. For something more distinctive you have to go to the boutiques in the 30A towns.

Both are expensive, but Naples costs noticeably more, with resorts and restaurants priced for a wealthy winter crowd. Their cheap seasons fall at opposite ends of the year. Destin gets cheaper from late autumn to early spring, when the sea is too cold for swimming. Naples drops its prices in the hot, stormy summer. In both, a rental with a kitchen keeps costs down. In Naples it also helps to stay inland or up in Fort Myers.

Naples has a real arts season. The Philharmonic plays in its own hall on the main arts campus, which also hosts touring Broadway shows and chamber music, and professional and community theatres stage plays downtown from late autumn to spring.

In Destin, the regional symphony plays across the bay in Niceville. Otherwise there are small theatres, summer lawn concerts in the 30A towns, and cover bands on bar decks, so its best months for live music are the summer months, when Naples has little on.

Naples is the more restful of the two. It has large resort spas that are open to non-guests, quiet streets, golf, and a population that is largely there to unwind. Destin's pampering is in the golf and beach resorts around Sandestin. Its calm comes mostly in spring and autumn, because in summer the traffic and crowds take it away.