Florianopolis or Recife?

Florianopolis is the stronger beach destination by some way. The island's coasts differ: Jurere and Daniela have calm, warm bays, Mole and Joaquina face open Atlantic surf, and Lagoinha do Leste can only be reached on a forest trail. You can swim straight from where you stay, at least from December to March.

Recife's Boa Viagem is a city beach for sun, coconut water and wading in the reef pools at low tide. Shark warnings keep bathers inside the reef, so the city shore is not for real swimming. The water is warmer than Florianopolis's all year, but to swim properly you have to go south to the natural pools of Porto de Galinhas or the calm water at Carneiros.

Recife has the more distinctive table. Pernambuco cooking gives you carne de sol with macaxeira, sururu broths, crab cracked with a mallet at the kiosks, and sweets such as bolo de rolo, with markets like São José for a local scene.

Florianopolis eats more narrowly but very well at what it does: oysters farmed in its own waters, eaten at the water's edge in Ribeirao da Ilha, and the long sequencia de camarao. Away from seafood the choice thins out quickly.

Recife offers far more to see. Recife Antigo's Kahal Zur Israel synagogue, the gilded Capela Dourada, the Instituto Ricardo Brennand's castle collection and the strange sculpture garden of the Oficina Brennand could fill several days. Olinda's colonial hilltop is next door, although the centre between these sights is often run-down.

Florianopolis's heritage is smaller and quieter. It has the Hercilio Luz bridge, the Palacio Cruz e Sousa off Praca XV and the Azorean fishing villages with their whitewashed churches. It makes a pleasant day, but it is not a reason to come.

Both cities go out well, but in different ways. Florianopolis is a summer party island: glossy beach clubs and touring DJs at Jurere Internacional, and younger bar crowds around Lagoa da Conceicao. In winter much of it closes down.

Recife's nights are steadier through the year and more local, with plastic tables on the pavement around Rua da Moeda, live forró and brega, and clubs playing brega funk. At Carnival the streets of Recife and Olinda become one long party.

Florianopolis is much the greener and more active choice. Atlantic forest trails lead to Lagoinha do Leste and along the Costa da Lagoa, the lagoon is good for kitesurfing and paddling, the Joaquina dunes are used for sandboarding, and the east coast has consistent surf. Southern right whales calve offshore in the cooler months.

Recife is flat delta country. Its natural side means river trips on the Capibaribe, the forest patch at Dois Irmãos and the reefs and mangroves down the coast, and the humid heat makes midday activity heavy going.

Recife has the edge, mostly thanks to Olinda, a colonial town a short taxi ride away that easily fills a day and an evening. Igarassu, Itamaracá's Dutch fort and the clay market at Caruaru add more, though the longer trips take a full day on the road.

From Florianopolis the outings are more varied in kind but further away. They include the German-settled towns of Blumenau and Pomerode, the high-rise beach city of Balneario Camboriu, the surf towns of Garopaba and Praia do Rosa, and a boat to the Anhatomirim fortress.

Florianopolis is the easier family beach vacation. The northern beaches at Canasvieiras, Jurere and Daniela have shallow, gentle water and plenty of space, sandboarding and boat trips keep older children busy, and Beto Carrero World is within a day's reach. Summer traffic jams are the main drawback.

In Recife, children love spotting fish in the reef pools of Porto de Galinhas, and the zoo at Dois Irmãos helps. But the city itself is hot and hard work with small children, which is why many families stay at a resort down the coast instead.

Neither city is easy without a car, but Recife is a little simpler. Most visitors stay in Boa Viagem, walk the promenade and take cheap ride-hailing trips to Recife Antigo and Olinda. The metro serves the airport but does little for sightseeing.

Florianopolis is spread along roughly 50km of island, and its buses run through hub terminals that turn short hops into long rides. Summer traffic clogs the bridges and the roads north. The sensible plan is a hire car and a base close to the beaches you want.

Recife gives you more to bring home. The old prison cells of the Casa da Cultura sell clay figurines, hammocks and cordel woodcuts, Olinda has artists' studios and Carnival puppet makers, and the potters of Alto do Moura are within reach.

Florianopolis has malls, surf and swimwear boutiques at Jurere and Lagoa, and one real local craft, the renda de bilro bobbin lace of Santo Antonio de Lisboa.

A week in Florianopolis costs noticeably more than one in Recife, and most of the gap is in the room bill. By Brazilian standards the island is a dear place to sleep in summer, especially over New Year and Carnival, and Jurere Internacional sits firmly at the luxury end. Simple seafood places, bakeries and car hire stay reasonable, and between April and November beds become far easier on the budget.

In Recife, everyday spending stays low all year. Per-kilo lunches, crab at the kiosks, cold beer and ride-hailing hops across town cost little, Boa Viagem's seafront hotels give fair value, and most museums ask little or nothing. Only rooms at Carnival and the resorts around Porto de Galinhas push costs up.

Recife is the clear choice for anyone travelling to hear music. Frevo brass and umbrella dancing, maracatu drum processions and the manguebeat sound all come from here. They are rehearsed and played through the year, and bands play coco and ciranda in the streets of Recife Antigo and Olinda.

In Florianopolis, live performance amounts to the Teatro Alvaro de Carvalho, touring Brazilian acts and samba or MPB sets in the bars around Lagoa.

Florianopolis is the more restful place, at least outside high summer. The southern villages and quieter corners of Lagoa are unhurried, yoga studios serve the surf crowd, and the thermal waters of Santo Amaro da Imperatriz and Aguas Mornas are under an hour inland.

Recife has no bathing tradition and is noisy and hot. Real rest there means moving to a spa resort at Porto de Galinhas or Muro Alto, beside calm reef water.