Fuerteventura or La Palma?

Fuerteventura's beaches are the main event. White sand runs out from the Corralejo dunes, El Cotillo has reef-sheltered lagoons, and on Jandía the pale sands of Sotavento and Morro Jable go on for hours of walking. Wind is the catch, so the east and south-facing shores are the calm ones.

La Palma has black sand and pebble in a few places, chiefly Puerto Naos, Tazacorte and the breakwater-calmed bay at Los Cancajos, and much of its coast drops steeply into heavy surf. The sea is no colder, and the rock pools at Charco Azul make a pleasant change, but a beach here fills an afternoon between walks rather than a week.

Neither island is a food destination, and the everyday table is much the same Canarian country cooking of wrinkled potatoes with mojo, goat, gofio and grilled fish. Fuerteventura's distinction is its majorero goat cheese and the fish served by the water in El Cotillo, Ajuy and Morro Jable, though resort menus elsewhere are international.

La Palma has the better glass. The Malvasia grown on black ash at Fuencaliente and the pine-barrel vino de tea of the north-west give meals a local character that Fuerteventura cannot match, since it drinks wine from other islands. La Palma's almond sweets are worth seeking out too.

La Palma has more to see, and most of it is in Santa Cruz: the Calle Real with its sixteenth-century churches and Renaissance town hall, the balconied houses along the seafront and the naval museum inside a replica of Columbus's ship. The spiral petroglyphs at La Zarza and the cave site of Belmaco add an older, pre-Hispanic layer.

Fuerteventura's heritage is thinner and rural: the old capital of Betancuria, the manor house in La Oliva, the windmills and the sacred mountain of Tindaya. An afternoon or two covers it, while La Palma fills several half-days.

Corralejo gives Fuerteventura a real evening out. Its main street and old harbour fill with surfers and visitors moving between pubs, cocktail bars and a few music bars that stay open late. Away from it, Caleta de Fuste and Morro Jable have hotel bars and the odd pub, and most nights end with a sundowner rather than a club.

La Palma is quieter still. A handful of terraces on the squares of Santa Cruz and Los Llanos fill up at weekends, and the resort areas go silent after dinner. Its one great night is carnival, when the Los Indianos parade fills the capital with people dressed in white throwing talcum powder.

La Palma is the stronger choice for landscape. Trails drop into the cliff-ringed Caldera de Taburiente, the road climbs to about 2,400m at the Roque de los Muchachos above the clouds, the Ruta de los Volcanes crosses cinder cones to the lava fields, and Los Tilos shelters dense laurel forest. Its night skies are among the clearest in Europe.

Fuerteventura's desert of dunes, lava fields and bare craters such as Calderón Hondo is striking, but you run out of walks sooner and shade is scarce. Its outdoor strength is on the water, with steady trade winds at Sotavento and Flag Beach for windsurfing and kiting and reef breaks at El Cotillo for surfers.

Fuerteventura has the easier escape. A half-hour ferry from Corralejo puts Lanzarote's La Geria vineyards and Teguise within a day, and Gran Canaria can be reached from Morro Jable. On the island itself, a loop through Betancuria, Tefía and Ajuy fills a day.

From La Palma the ferries to Tenerife and La Gomera make for long days, so outings mostly stay on the island, among Santa Cruz, Los Llanos, San Andrés and the Fuencaliente wineries.

Fuerteventura is far easier with children. Shallow lagoons at Sotavento, El Cotillo and Corralejo suit toddlers, and resort hotels in Costa Calma and Caleta de Fuste come with pools and kids' clubs. There are also water parks, a zoo near La Lajita and glass-bottom boats to Lobos.

La Palma works best for older children who like to walk, with short trails in Los Tilos, whale and dolphin trips and the volcano visitor centres. It lacks sheltered sandy beaches and big attractions, and the winding roads can be hard on young passengers.

Both islands need a hire car, but Fuerteventura's roads are good and quiet, so the two-hour run from Corralejo to Morro Jable is easy driving, and Corralejo itself is pleasant on foot.

La Palma's hairpins up and down deep ravines make the north slow going, though the tunnel links Santa Cruz and Los Llanos quickly. On either island the buses serve the towns but not the beaches or trailheads, and on La Palma a linear walk often ends with a taxi back to the car.

Shopping is a minor part of a trip to either island, and both will send you home with goat cheese. On Fuerteventura the shops follow the surf, with boards and beachwear in Corralejo, while the weekly craft market at Lajares is the best place on the island for an unhurried browse.

La Palma has more that is made on the island itself: cigars rolled by hand, a Cuban legacy of returning islanders, silk from El Paso and its own Malvasia, found along the pedestrian streets of Santa Cruz and Los Llanos and at village markets. Neither has fashion or design shops worth giving a day to.

Costs are close. Both islands benefit from low Canary taxes on fuel and drink, and both need a hire car. The difference is in the beds: Fuerteventura has plenty of apartments and mid-range resort hotels, with costs climbing at the big all-inclusives in the south, while La Palma relies on apartments and rural houses and has few budget rooms, so winter stays need booking ahead.

There is little to attend on either island, though La Palma has slightly more: the historic Teatro Circo de Marte in Santa Cruz, winter festival concerts and the Bajada de la Virgen every five years with its pageants. Fuerteventura offers occasional concerts at the Puerto del Rosario auditorium and cover bands in resort bars. On both islands, timple players at village fiestas are the most local music you will hear.

Neither island has a bathing tradition, and on both the draw is the slow pace rather than treatments. Fuerteventura has more hotel spas in Caleta de Fuste, Corralejo and Jandía, plus yoga and surf retreats around Lajares and El Cotillo. La Palma is quieter still, suited to a rural house among vineyards or avocado terraces, a long walk by day and a dark, starry sky at night.