Holbox or Riviera Maya?

Both are true beach destinations, but the Riviera Maya has more and better. It has over 100km of white sand and clear, warm water: town beaches in Playa del Carmen, reef-sheltered bays at Akumal and Xpu-Ha where turtles graze, and the coves beneath Tulum's cliff-top ruins. Sargassum can foul its public beaches for weeks in spring and summer.

Holbox has just one beach, the whole north shore. Its strength is how shallow and still the water is, and you can wade far out towards the sandbar at Punta Mosquito. The water is a milky green rather than Caribbean blue, though, and noticeably cooler in winter.

The Riviera Maya is where you learn what Yucatecan food is: cochinita pibil, sopa de lima and panuchos at family-run places behind Quinta Avenida and in Tulum town. Tulum's beach road adds more ambitious restaurants. You have to step away from the buffets and tourist strips to find it.

Holbox eats well but narrowly: ceviche, grilled fish, octopus and its own lobster pizza in sand-floored places around the square. After a few days the menus start to repeat, and the island has no market or regional cooking to explore.

Neither is a culture destination, but only the Riviera Maya has anything to visit. Tulum's walled city above the sea and the tall pyramids of Coba in the jungle are major Maya sites, and Muyil adds a quieter one. On Holbox the painted wooden houses and street murals are the only sights, and there are no ruins or museums at all.

This is the widest gap between the two. Playa del Carmen around Calle 12 has rooftop bars and clubs open well into the small hours, and Tulum has DJ nights in jungle clearings and beach clubs, busiest in winter.

On Holbox an evening means a sunset drink, a reggae or cocktail bar with a sand floor, and perhaps a hostel bar or an occasional beach party. There are no clubs, and the island is mostly asleep before midnight.

Both are strong on nature, with the Riviera Maya slightly ahead, and they show it in different ways. The Riviera Maya's best is underwater: cenotes such as Dos Ojos and Gran Cenote, long flooded cave systems, the Mesoamerican Reef along the coast and the famous drift dives off Cozumel. Sian Ka'an adds dolphins and crocodiles.

Holbox's wildlife is closer to the surface. It has whale sharks offshore in summer, flamingos and frigatebirds in the lagoon, bioluminescent plankton in the shallows, and kitesurfing on the windy winter flats. Both are flat, with no hills or real hiking.

Holbox is not a base for day trips. Its boat outings go to sandbars and bird islands, and once the ferry is counted, Valladolid and Chichen Itza are too far for a comfortable day.

From the Riviera Maya the same Chichen Itza and Valladolid trip is a long but workable day, best from Tulum. There is also Ek Balam, the ferry to Cozumel's San Miguel and the boat to Isla Mujeres. The choice is limited, but enough for one or two good outings.

The Riviera Maya is far easier with children. It has all-inclusive resorts with kids' clubs, eco-parks with underground rivers and zip lines, snorkelling among turtles in Akumal's calm bay, and ruins short enough for small legs.

Holbox has the gentler sea, warm and shallow enough for toddlers to paddle a long way out, and car-free streets that feel safe. Beyond that, there is nothing built for children, the sandy streets are hard going with a pushchair, and getting there by road and ferry takes much of a day.

Holbox is the simpler place to be once you have arrived. You walk or cycle everywhere, golf-cart taxis go to the ends of the beach, and there are no cars at all. The catches are the sand streets that turn to mud after rain, and the journey in: a couple of hours by road from Cancun to Chiquila, then the ferry.

The Riviera Maya is easy to understand, laid out along one flat highway with buses and colectivo vans. Reaching Coba, the cenotes and quieter beaches is still easiest with a hire car, and Tulum's taxis are expensive for the distances involved.

On Holbox, shopping means a few stalls and small stores around the square selling hammocks, beachwear and souvenirs. The Riviera Maya has more to offer. Quinta Avenida in Playa del Carmen is a long pedestrian street of silver, Talavera pottery and beachwear, and Tulum has small boutiques of linen, baskets and design pieces. Neither is a place for luxury shopping.

Both cost more than mainland Mexico, by about the same amount, but for different reasons. On Holbox everything arrives by ferry, the whale shark trips are a big expense, and many places only take cash on an island with few cash machines.

On the Riviera Maya the costs are uneven. Tulum's beach hotels and restaurants charge resort prices, but colectivos, buses and the taquerias a few blocks back in Playa del Carmen or Puerto Morelos keep a careful budget workable.

Neither has a stage culture, but the Riviera Maya at least has shows. The eco-parks put on evening spectacles of the Maya ball game, folk dance and mariachi, and bars in Playa del Carmen and Tulum book live bands. On Holbox, live music is a guitarist or small band in a beach bar or on the square.

The Riviera Maya has much more to offer for wellness. Tulum is known for its jungle yoga shalas and retreats, the temazcal sweat lodge is a real Maya tradition, and the big resorts have large spas with hydrotherapy circuits. For quiet, choose Akumal, Puerto Morelos or southern Tulum rather than central Playa.

Holbox relaxes you through its pace rather than its treatments. There are no cars and no high-rises, just hammocks over the water, and some yoga and beach massage. The whole island is calm, especially west of the village.