Destin or West Palm Beach?

Destin has the edge for pure beach quality. Its white quartz sand and green Gulf water run from Okaloosa Island and Henderson Beach State Park east to Miramar Beach, often right outside the condo door, and Crab Island adds a sandbar for wading. The catch is the season: the water is only inviting from late spring to October.

West Palm's beaches are lovely but a drive or bike ride away, across the lagoon at Midtown Beach, Singer Island or Juno. The Gulf Stream keeps the Atlantic swimmable all year, and Peanut Island has sheltered lagoon water for snorkelling. Both coasts have rough days, with rip currents on the Gulf and hurricane-season surf on the Atlantic.

Neither is a food destination, but West Palm Beach gives you more variety. Destin's strength is fish straight off the charter boats, with snapper, grouper and royal red shrimp at harbour decks and some places that will cook your own catch. Away from the water, the coast highway is mostly chains with long summer waits.

West Palm adds stone crab in season, waterfront terraces on Clematis Street, formal dining rooms across the bridge in Palm Beach, and Cuban and Haitian bakeries in the neighbourhoods away from the centre. The winter green market by the waterfront is a pleasant Saturday stop.

This is the widest gap between them. Destin has a small fishing museum, with the temple mound and the military aircraft collection next door in Fort Walton Beach, and that is roughly the list.

West Palm Beach has a real art museum in the Norton and a Gilded Age mansion in Flagler's Whitehall, which tells the story of the railway that made this coast. Add the Ann Norton Sculpture Gardens and an afternoon among Palm Beach's villas and Worth Avenue's courtyards, and you have two or three full days of sightseeing.

Both offer a pleasant night out rather than a scene, but the style and season differ. Destin drinks outdoors, on harbour boardwalk decks and Okaloosa Island beach bars, and its liveliest hours are often afternoons at the Crab Island raft-up. It peaks in summer and spring break, then goes quiet.

West Palm is more urban, with cocktail bars, rooftop terraces and a couple of dance spots on Clematis Street and around Rosemary Square. It is busiest on winter weekends and sleepy in summer. Miami is close enough for anyone who wants real clubs.

Both are flat, watery coasts where the outdoors means boats and paddles, so the difference is in what lies under the surface. Destin is a fishing town first: the shelf drops off close to shore, so deep-sea charters reach big fish quickly. Choctawhatchee Bay suits paddleboarding and dolphin spotting, and the state parks protect rare coastal dune lakes.

West Palm is the better base for divers and snorkellers. The Blue Heron Bridge shore dive and the Gulf Stream reefs are close by. Inland, Grassy Waters and the Loxahatchee refuge bring alligators and wading birds, and turtles nest on the beaches to the north.

West Palm Beach has the stronger options, mainly because Miami is about an hour away by fast train, with South Beach, Little Havana and Wynwood. Fort Lauderdale, Delray Beach with the Morikami gardens, and Boca Raton are closer still.

From Destin, the planned cottage towns of 30A make a good half day, and Pensacola's colonial district, forts and naval aviation museum are worth a full one. After that, Destin mostly offers more of the same resort coast.

Destin is the more complete family resort. A marine park with dolphin shows, a large water park, go-karts, mini golf and harbour cruises sit close to calm, shallow summer water, and kitchen-equipped condos suit long stays. Summer traffic and thunderstorms are the price.

West Palm Beach does well too, with a different mix: Lion Country Safari, the zoo, the science centre and winter manatees at Manatee Lagoon. Its warm winter sea also makes it the better choice for a family trip at Christmas or Easter. Neither coast has a big theme park.

You'll want a car in both, but West Palm Beach is easier on foot. Its compact downtown is walkable, a free trolley links the waterfront with Clematis Street and Rosemary Square, and trains run south to Fort Lauderdale and Miami. The Lake Trail makes cycling over to Palm Beach a pleasure.

Destin is one long, congested highway with few safe crossings. Beyond the harbour boardwalk and the 30A bike trail, there is little to do except drive or book rides.

West Palm Beach has the real shopping street. Worth Avenue's luxury houses and galleries line tiled vias that are pleasant even if you only window-shop. Island consignment shops sell designer pieces second-hand, and Antique Row on South Dixie Highway is good for an afternoon's browsing.

Destin is outlet and mall country, built around the big outlet centre near Miramar Beach. Its most interesting shopping is in the small boutiques and home-décor shops of the 30A towns.

Destin is the cheaper of the two, and their expensive seasons fall at opposite ends of the year. Destin peaks in summer. From late autumn to early spring rentals fall a long way, though the sea is too cold for swimming then. Renting a condo with a kitchen, or staying along the bay, saves more.

West Palm's high season is the winter. That is when Palm Beach hotels are among the dearest on the coast, and even downtown rooms cost a lot. Summer rates drop, and unlike in Destin's off season the sea is still warm, but you pay for it in heat and storms.

West Palm Beach has a proper arts calendar. The Kravis Center brings touring musicals, orchestras, dance and the Palm Beach Opera, and Palm Beach Dramaworks stages serious plays on Clematis Street. Most of it runs from late autumn to spring.

In Destin, the regional symphony and touring shows are across the bay in Niceville. Beyond those, there are small local theatres, summer lawn concerts in the 30A towns and cover bands on bar decks.

In Destin calm depends on the season, while in West Palm Beach it comes with the place. Destin's pampering is at the golf and beach resorts around Sandestin and Miramar Beach. Its empty spring and autumn sands give way to summer traffic and crowds.

West Palm Beach is the more restful base. Palm Beach is quiet and manicured, its oceanfront resort spas suit long unhurried days, and the lagoon promenades are good for an early walk or an evening stroll. Neither city has a spa tradition of its own.