Destin or Tampa?

Destin has the better beach because the sand is the reason to stay there. The quartz beaches of Okaloosa Island, Henderson Beach State Park and Miramar Beach sit right in front of the condos, and on the bay side there is the shallow sandbar at Crab Island. On rough days, watch the flags for rip currents.

Tampa's own waterfront is mostly seawall, so its beaches mean a trip across the bridges to Clearwater, Pass-a-Grille or the quieter Fort De Soto and Caladesi Island. The sand and the calm water there are as good as Destin's, but every beach day includes time in the car unless you sleep on the islands.

Tampa's food has more character. The Cuban, Spanish and Sicilian heritage of Ybor City gives it the Cuban sandwich with salami, café con leche, deviled crab croquettes and the century-old Columbia Restaurant. Food halls and Seminole Heights add variety.

Destin's strength is narrower. Snapper, grouper and royal red shrimp come straight off the charter boats, and some places will cook your own catch. Away from the harbour decks the coast highway is mostly chains, and the more ambitious kitchens are out along 30A.

Tampa has a modest but real heritage, which Destin lacks. Ybor City has its brick cigar factories and Latin social clubs. The Henry B. Plant Museum is inside the minareted 1891 railway hotel, and the art and history museums stand along the river. Together they fill two or three days.

Destin grew out of a fishing village and kept almost nothing old. The small fishing museum, plus the temple mound and the military aircraft collection in Fort Walton Beach, take about a morning. For real history you have to drive to Pensacola.

Tampa gives you more choice of nights out. There are dance clubs and a rowdy young crowd on Seventh Avenue in Ybor, cocktail patios in SoHo, rooftops and craft beer taprooms downtown, and the Gasparilla street party every winter.

Going out in Destin means flip-flops and frozen drinks on the harbour boardwalk and Okaloosa Island. The liveliest drinking is often in the afternoon at Crab Island, and outside summer and spring break most evenings end early.

Both have flat country where the outdoors is mostly on the water, but the water is different. Destin faces the open Gulf. Deep-sea charters reach big game fish close to shore, you can snorkel along the jetties and paddle on Choctawhatchee Bay, and the state parks to the east have rare coastal dune lakes.

Around Tampa the outdoors means freshwater and wildlife. You can kayak the cypress swamp of the Hillsborough River and the mangrove tunnels, see manatees at Apollo Beach in winter, and visit the clear springs around Crystal River and the alligators of Myakka. Anglers will prefer Destin, and wildlife watchers Tampa.

Tampa has a wider range of day trips. There is the Dalí Museum in St Petersburg, the Greek sponge docks of Tarpon Springs, the Ringling estate in Sarasota and the Frank Lloyd Wright campus at Lakeland.

Destin has two good directions. East are the planned pastel towns of 30A, and west is Pensacola, with its colonial district and brick forts. Beyond those, the list soon runs out.

Both work well with children, and Tampa has a little more to do. Busch Gardens, ZooTampa, the Florida Aquarium and the children's museum can fill a week, and Legoland and the Orlando parks are within reach.

Destin is simpler. Condos with pools sit on the sand, the water is gentle for toddlers on calm days, and there are a marine park with dolphin shows and pirate-ship cruises from the harbour. Parents need to know the beach flags, because rip currents can make the Gulf dangerous on rough days.

You need a car in both, but each falls short in a different way. Destin is one congested coastal highway with few safe crossings, and only the harbour boardwalk and the 30A bike trail are good for walking or cycling.

Tampa at least has a compact core. A streetcar links Downtown, the Channel District and Ybor City, and the Riverwalk is pleasant on foot. The beaches and Busch Gardens still mean a drive or a ride-hail, with slow traffic on the bridges at rush hour.

Shopping is equally ordinary in both, but the kind is different. Destin has outlet shopping near Miramar Beach and small boutiques and galleries in the 30A towns. Tampa has an upscale mall with luxury brands, the open-air shops of Hyde Park Village and one real local craft, cigars rolled by hand in Ybor City.

Neither is cheap, but Tampa is a little easier on the budget. Its high season is winter and spring, so summer hotel rates are lower, and Cuban bakeries and sandwich counters keep lunch affordable. Car hire and theme park tickets are the big extra costs.

Destin is most expensive just when the sea is warm. Beachfront condos, waterfront dining and charter fishing are all priced for the summer crowds. The off season is much cheaper but too cold for swimming, so renting a condo with a kitchen is the main way to save.

Tampa has a proper programme of live performance. The Straz Center hosts touring Broadway shows, opera and ballet, the Florida Orchestra plays there, the 1926 Tampa Theatre with its twinkling ceiling shows films and hosts concerts, and Ybor City has indie venues.

In Destin, the symphony plays across the bay in Niceville. Most live music is cover bands on bar decks, plus outdoor concerts on the lawns of the 30A towns in summer.

Neither is a wellness destination, and in both, pampering means a resort spa. Destin's calm comes from early walks on empty sand in spring and autumn, and the bigger spas are around Sandestin. Tampa itself is not a restful city, so for a quiet stay you book on the barrier islands, where the days revolve around sunsets and long lunches.