Honolulu or Los Angeles?

This is Honolulu's home ground. Waikiki's sand runs straight from the hotels into calm, warm, reef-protected water, and within a short drive there are the white sands of Kailua and Lanikai and the sheltered bowl of Hanauma Bay. You can swim every day of the year, with the North Shore saved for summer.

Los Angeles has more coastline, from the Malibu coves past Santa Monica and Venice to the South Bay, and a real beach culture of volleyball, bike paths and surf breaks. But the Pacific there is cold enough that most people wade or put on a wetsuit, so it makes a good afternoon out rather than the core of a swimming vacation.

Honolulu eats casually and well, with poke from the fish counter, plate lunch, malasadas and strong Japanese cooking, and the best of it is in Kaimuki, Kapahulu and Chinatown rather than the resort dining rooms of Waikiki.

Los Angeles goes much further. Whole communities cook at full strength, from the charcoal grills of Koreatown and the regional Chinese kitchens of the San Gabriel Valley to the taco trucks of the Eastside, Thai Town and the Oaxacan kitchens of Mid-City, with a serious chef-led scene on top. The catch is that you drive between them.

Honolulu's sights tell two strong stories, the Hawaiian kingdom at Iolani Palace and the Bishop Museum, and the Pacific war at Pearl Harbor. They are moving, but they fit into a couple of days among the towers.

Los Angeles has more to keep a sightseer busy, though none of it is old. The Getty Center and Getty Villa, LACMA, the Broad and the Huntington make a long art itinerary, and Hollywood's movie palaces, Griffith Observatory and the Art Deco downtown add landmarks. Expect long drives between them.

A Honolulu evening usually means a mai tai at sunset in Waikiki or a cocktail and dive-bar round in Chinatown, then an early night before the morning swim. It suits couples and groups, but the club scene is thin.

Los Angeles has far more going on: velvet-rope clubs in Hollywood, the gay bars of West Hollywood's Santa Monica Boulevard, downtown rooftops and the dive bars of Silver Lake and Echo Park. Bars close at 2am and crossing districts means a ride, so most people stay in one neighbourhood for the night.

Honolulu has the edge because the wild country starts at the edge of town. You can climb the Diamond Head rim, reach the rainforest at Manoa Falls in minutes and walk under the fluted Koolau cliffs, then spend the afternoon snorkelling beside green turtles or paddling to the Kailua islets.

Los Angeles has bigger mountains, with Griffith Park, the canyon trails of the Santa Monica range and the San Gabriels rising above 3,000m to pine forest and winter snow. Traffic, summer heat and fire season make them harder to enjoy on a whim.

Honolulu is limited by its island. Haleiwa's surf-town streets, Kailua, the Polynesian Cultural Center and the Byodo-In temple make a fine loop drive. The other islands deserve a few nights, not a rushed day.

Los Angeles has much more range. Santa Barbara's mission and red-tile streets, the harbour at Avalon on Catalina, Laguna Beach and the orange groves of Ojai are all within a day, and Palm Springs or San Diego are possible at a push, provided you leave before the traffic builds.

Both cities are excellent with children, but the days look different. Honolulu is about gentle water: the lagoons at Ko Olina, a first snorkel at Hanauma Bay, the zoo and aquarium at the quiet end of Waikiki, and resort pools with kids' clubs.

Los Angeles is about big attractions, with Disneyland, Universal Studios, the space shuttle at the California Science Center and the fossils of the La Brea Tar Pits. The drawback there is hours in the car, while in Honolulu it is the long flight and the cost.

Honolulu is much easier without a car. Waikiki is flat and walkable from end to end, Ala Moana and Kapahulu are close by, and TheBus reaches Pearl Harbor and the North Shore, so a day or two of car hire for the island loop is often enough.

Los Angeles is spread across dozens of separate cities linked by jammed freeways. The Metro covers a few useful routes, such as downtown to Hollywood or Santa Monica, but most visitors hire a car or rely on ride-hailing and walk only within places like Venice or Old Pasadena.

Honolulu's shopping centres on Waikiki's luxury row along Kalakaua Avenue and the vast Ala Moana Center, plus genuinely local things to bring home: aloha shirts, koa bowls, ukuleles and island coffee. Away from those streets, much of it is souvenirs.

Los Angeles is a deeper and more varied hunt, from Rodeo Drive to Melrose streetwear, the independent shops of Abbot Kinney, vintage at the Rose Bowl flea market and design shops and records in Silver Lake. Its relaxed surf-and-denim style is something people come to shop for.

Neither city is cheap, and Honolulu is the harder of the two on a budget. An island that imports nearly everything charges more for the basics, so the room and every sit-down meal cost more, and a careful budget relies on the poke and plate-lunch counters and on days spent on beaches and trails that cost nothing. One thing helps: from a Waikiki base the bus reaches most of what a visitor wants, so a hire car is only needed for a day or two.

Los Angeles is somewhat easier on the money, even though the car it demands, with fuel and parking every day, is a cost Honolulu largely spares you. What makes the difference is range. Cheap food runs through whole neighbourhoods rather than a handful of counters, and the free sights go beyond the beach to the Getty and Griffith Observatory, so a traveller watching costs has many more ways to eat and see well without spending much.

Honolulu's strength is its own tradition. Slack-key guitar, falsetto singing and hula can be seen properly at the free shows on Kuhio Beach and at the festivals, but the formal scene amounts to short seasons at the Hawaii Theatre and a few touring acts.

Los Angeles is in another league. The Philharmonic plays at Walt Disney Concert Hall and moves outdoors to the Hollywood Bowl in summer, LA Opera and big theatre productions fill the Music Center, and below that come the Sunset Strip rock rooms, comedy and improv in Hollywood and jazz in Leimert Park.

Honolulu relaxes you through its pace more than its facilities. Lomilomi massage, resort spas with open-air rooms and dawn yoga on the sand are the offer, and Kahala, Ko Olina or the windward side give the quiet that Waikiki lacks.

Los Angeles has more to book, chiefly the Korean bathhouses of Koreatown with their hot and cold pools, scrubs and heated floors, open late or round the clock, plus spas and yoga studios everywhere. The city itself is tiring, so real calm means a trip to Ojai or the Palm Springs springs.