Gold Coast or Honolulu?

Both are first-rate beach destinations, but the beaches are laid out very differently. The Gold Coast is one long run of golden sand facing open Pacific surf, from Surfers Paradise to Coolangatta, with patrolled flags all the way. The calmer water is at the sheltered southern points, the Broadwater and the creek mouths.

Honolulu's beaches are more scattered. Waikiki is narrow and crowded but sheltered by the reef and gentle. The finest sand lies a drive away at Lanikai and Kailua, with snorkelling in the reef bowl at Hanauma Bay. Oahu gives you more kinds of water, and the Gold Coast gives you more space on the sand.

Honolulu is the place to eat well. Its cooking comes from Hawaiian, Japanese, Chinese, Korean and Filipino families, so poke counters, plate lunch, kalua pig and good ramen are everyday food. The best of it is in Kaimuki, Kapahulu and Chinatown.

The Gold Coast eats pleasantly but has little of its own beyond prawns, Moreton Bay bugs and fish and chips on the sand. The brunch cafés of Burleigh and the brewery taprooms are its high points, and Surfers Paradise is mostly chains.

The gap here is wide. Honolulu tells the story of a Pacific kingdom at Iolani Palace, Kawaiahao Church and the Bishop Museum. It adds the Pearl Harbor ships and an art museum strong on Asia, enough for two or three full days.

The Gold Coast is a young resort with little to see beyond the gallery at HOTA and the view from the SkyPoint deck. Anyone wanting museums takes the train to Brisbane.

The Gold Coast goes later and louder. Cavill and Orchid Avenues in Surfers Paradise form a club strip packed with young Australians and backpackers. Broadbeach and Burleigh have cocktail bars and taprooms for a calmer evening.

In Honolulu the night usually starts with a mai tai at sunset and might move on to a cocktail or dive bar in Chinatown. Most of the city is winding down by the hour Surfers is getting going.

Both have mountains and rainforest behind the sand, but in Honolulu they are closer. The Diamond Head crater rim, the Manoa Falls trail and the Koolau ridges start within minutes of Waikiki. Snorkelling over reefs with green sea turtles adds a whole underwater side.

The Gold Coast's World Heritage rainforest at Springbrook and Lamington is magnificent but an hour or more away by car. Its great strength is surfing, at the point breaks of Snapper Rocks, Kirra and Burleigh.

The Gold Coast has more within reach. Brisbane, with its galleries and South Bank parklands, is a train ride away. Byron Bay and its hinterland villages are across the border, and Tamborine Mountain combines wineries with rainforest walks.

On Oahu the main outing is a loop of the island. Haleiwa's surf town, the Polynesian Cultural Center and the Byodo-In temple make a good day, but there is no second city to visit. The neighbouring islands deserve an overnight stay rather than a day.

Both are excellent with children, but the Gold Coast is built around them. The theme parks and water parks between Coomera and the Spit, the koalas at Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary and self-catering apartments everywhere can fill a fortnight.

Honolulu offers quieter days out: calm lagoons, a zoo and aquarium at the Diamond Head end of Waikiki, and an easy first snorkel at Hanauma Bay. The long flight and high costs are a bigger burden for a family.

Honolulu is a little easier. Waikiki is compact enough to walk from end to end, and TheBus runs to Pearl Harbor, Chinatown and the North Shore, so most visitors need a car for only a day or two.

The Gold Coast is a long, thin city. The G:link light rail serves the strip from Southport to Broadbeach and connects with the Brisbane train. For the rainforest hinterland and Byron Bay you really need a hire car.

Honolulu is the better place to shop. It has luxury fashion houses along Kalakaua Avenue, a huge open-air centre at Ala Moana, and island goods with real local roots: koa wood, Hawaiian quilts, ukuleles and Niihau shell lei.

The Gold Coast offers practical malls, a large outlet centre and the weekend market at Carrara. Surfwear is the one thing it does especially well.

Neither is cheap, but the Gold Coast is easier on the wallet. Its large supply of vacation apartments keeps rooms reasonable outside school breaks, though meals, drinks and theme-park tickets carry full Australian prices.

Honolulu costs a good deal more, because almost everything is shipped in and hotels, resort fees and car hire are all expensive. Poke counters, plate lunches and the cheap bus help keep costs down.

Neither city has much formal theatre or concert life, but Honolulu has a musical tradition of its own. Hula and slack-key guitar turn up at free shows on Kuhio Beach and in hotel courtyards. The restored Hawaii Theatre, a symphony and an opera company add short seasons.

On the Gold Coast, HOTA hosts touring shows and most other live music is bands in pubs and breweries, plus festivals such as Blues on Broadbeach. For serious theatre you go to Brisbane.

Honolulu is the more restful choice. It offers lomilomi massage, resort spas with open-air treatment rooms and dawn yoga on the sand, all in an unhurried island rhythm. Kahala, Ko Olina and the windward side give real quiet.

The Gold Coast relies on resort day spas and rainforest retreats around Tamborine Mountain and Currumbin Valley. Its calmest corners are the southern suburbs such as Burleigh and Palm Beach, well away from noisy Surfers.