Destin or Sarasota?

Both have outstanding white quartz sand on the Gulf, so the differences are about the water and the setting. Destin's water is a clear green. The beaches run from Okaloosa Island and Henderson Beach State Park out to the dune lakes of 30A, and on the bay side boats anchor at the Crab Island sandbar. Rip currents are the hazard to watch for.

Sarasota's Siesta Key sand stays cool underfoot and slopes into shallow water with no real waves. You can choose between Lido Key near downtown, quieter keys to the north and shark-tooth hunting at Venice. Red tide is the local nuisance, and its sea stays slightly warmer in winter.

You will eat about equally well in both, and in both cases mainly Gulf seafood. Destin's strength is the harbour, where charter boats land snapper, grouper and royal red shrimp and some kitchens will cook your own catch. Away from the water, the coast highway is mostly chains.

Sarasota has a little more polish, with bistros and wine bars on Main Street and St Armands Circle and stone crab in season. Its oddity is Pinecraft, where Amish and Mennonite family restaurants serve hearty meals and pie.

This is one of the widest gaps between the two. Sarasota has the Ringling, a full day's visit that takes in Baroque paintings, John Ringling's Venetian Gothic mansion on the bay and a museum of circus history. The Sarasota School's modernist houses and the 1920s buildings of Burns Court add interest for architecture lovers.

Destin grew out of a fishing village and has almost nothing historic. Its local museum is small, and the nearest sights are the prehistoric temple mound and the military aircraft collection in Fort Walton Beach.

Destin is the livelier of the two in season. Open-air bars around the harbour boardwalk and on Okaloosa Island fill on summer evenings, a few dance floors stay open late, and the Crab Island raft-ups turn afternoons into a party. Outside summer and spring break, though, it goes quiet.

Sarasota's evenings are gentler and attract an older crowd. You get wine and cocktail bars on Main Street and sunset drinks at Siesta Key Village, and most places close early. For a big night out, people drive to Tampa or St Petersburg.

Both are flat and centred on the water, but each has its own speciality. Destin is a fishing town. The continental shelf is close to shore, so charters reach big game fish quickly. You can also snorkel along the jetties, and the state parks to the east have rare coastal dune lakes.

Sarasota is better for wildlife. Myakka River State Park has alligators, prairie and a treetop canopy walk, there are mangrove tunnels to kayak off Lido Key, and manatees swim in the bay. In both places, summer heat pushes outdoor plans to early morning.

Sarasota has the slightly better range of outings. St Petersburg's Dalí Museum is an hour away across the Sunshine Skyway, Tampa has the Cuban and Spanish heritage of Ybor City, and Tarpon Springs, the Edison and Ford winter estates and Anna Maria Island are all within reach.

Destin has two good options: the planned pastel towns of 30A, such as Seaside and Rosemary Beach, and Pensacola's colonial district, naval aviation museum and brick forts. After those, the choices thin out quickly.

Both work well for children, but they suit different kinds of family. Destin has more ready-made fun: the marine park on Okaloosa Island with dolphin and sea-lion shows, a water park, go-karts, mini golf and pirate-ship cruises from the harbour.

Sarasota is quieter and has more to learn from. Mote Marine Laboratory's aquarium and the Ringling's circus model are the highlights, and its waveless water is especially gentle for toddlers, but the nearest theme park is over an hour away. Both need a car, and midday in summer is hard on children in either.

You will drive in either city, but Sarasota is a little easier on foot. Downtown, St Armands Circle and Siesta Key Village are each pleasant to walk around, and a free trolley runs along Siesta Key.

Destin stretches along a single coastal highway that clogs in summer and has few safe crossings, so outside the harbour boardwalk and the 30A bike trail almost every trip means getting in a car.

Shopping is a side activity in both, and neither has luxury depth or a real crafts scene. Destin's main draw is the big outlet centre near Miramar Beach, plus small boutiques and home-décor shops in the 30A towns. Sarasota is better for browsing: galleries and resort wear around St Armands Circle, independent shops on Palm Avenue and a Saturday farmers' market downtown.

Both are pricey US resort towns, but their expensive seasons fall at different times. Destin costs most in late spring and summer and is far cheaper in winter, when the sea is too cold to swim.

Sarasota peaks from January to April with winter visitors and is cheaper in summer, when the water is at its warmest but the storms arrive. In both, a kitchen and a base away from the beachfront help keep costs down.

Sarasota is far ahead here. It has an opera company in a restored 1920s theatre, a ballet known for Frederick Ashton's work, a full orchestra season, the Asolo Repertory Theatre on the Ringling grounds and touring shows at the purple Van Wezel hall. Most of it runs from autumn to spring.

In Destin, live entertainment mostly means cover bands on bar decks. The regional symphony plays across the bay in Niceville, and in summer there are outdoor concerts in the 30A towns.

Sarasota is the more restful of the two. The slow pace is the main appeal, with sunrise yoga on the sand, spas on Longboat Key and Lido Key, and Warm Mineral Springs to the south, a spring-fed pool that stays warm all year.

In Destin, pampering mostly means the big resort spas at Sandestin and Miramar Beach. Its quiet comes from empty early-morning sand in spring and autumn, and summer traffic takes much of it away.