Huatulco or Merida?

Huatulco is a beach destination in its own right. It has nine bays of golden sand along the Pacific, and most are calm coves where you can swim and snorkel straight from the shore. Boat trips reach beaches that no road touches, such as Cacaluta and El Órgano.

Merida has to travel for its sea. Progreso, about 40 minutes north, has wide sand and warm, shallow Gulf water, but the shore is flat and the sea is green rather than clear. The swims people remember are in the freshwater cenotes inland, which Huatulco has nothing to match.

Merida is the place to eat well. Yucatecan cooking is a distinct regional cuisine, and here you eat cochinita pibil for breakfast at the Lucas de Galvez and Santiago markets, sopa de lima and relleno negro in the dining rooms of old townhouses, and marquesitas from carts in the squares at night.

Huatulco serves good Oaxacan staples, such as mole, tlayudas and whole fish grilled on the beach, and they are best at La Crucecita's market and fondas. The choice runs out quickly, though, and resort buffets dominate Tangolunda. Neither city is strong on fine dining.

The gap here is wide. Merida's colonial centre is a sight in itself. It has the cathedral of San Ildefonso, built from the stone of Maya temples, the murals of the Palacio de Gobierno, the mansions of Paseo de Montejo and the Gran Museo del Mundo Maya, which together fill several days.

Huatulco is a planned resort, and you can see its sights in a morning. They are the painted dome of La Crucecita's church, the small ceremonial site and clifftop lookout in the Copalita park, and a quiet colonial church in the inland village of Santa María Huatulco.

Neither city is a party destination, but Merida has more going on after dark. Once the heat breaks the centre fills with people. You can move between mezcal bars on Calle 60, rooftop terraces, cantinas that serve free botanas with drinks and a few late clubs with a student crowd.

In Huatulco an evening means dinner and a drink around La Crucecita's plaza or at the beach bars in Santa Cruz, and most nights are quiet by midnight. Anyone after a real party goes up the coast to Zipolite.

Huatulco has the richer outdoors. Its national park runs from dry forest down to cliffs and coral, so snorkelling, diving, whale watching from December to March and rafting on the Copalita River are all close by. Waterfalls and coffee farms lie in the Sierra Sur foothills.

Merida sits on a flat limestone plain, and its natural wonders are underground, in the cenotes around Cuzama and Homun. A boat trip to see the flamingos in the mangroves at Celestun is well worth it, but there is little real hiking, and for half the year the heat limits activity to early mornings.

Merida is one of the great bases in Mexico for day trips. Uxmal and the Ruta Puuc, Chichen Itza paired with Valladolid, the yellow town of Izamal and Dzibilchaltun with its cenote are all within about two hours, with old henequen haciendas in between.

From Huatulco the choice is narrower. The coast villages of Mazunte, Puerto Ángel and Zipolite are about an hour west, the surf town of Puerto Escondido is about two hours away, and there are the coffee hills inland. Oaxaca city needs an overnight stay.

Children are welcome in both of these relaxed places, but Huatulco has a slight edge for a family stay centred on the beach. In calm coves like La Entrega, children can snorkel among fish close to the shore, and the resorts in Tangolunda add pools and kids' clubs.

Merida offers more to do away from the water, with the zoo in the Parque del Centenario, Animaya and the cenotes. With young children, though, the fierce heat, uneven pavements and ruins in open sun make it harder work. Neither city has a theme park.

Merida is the easier to navigate. The numbered street grid makes it hard to get lost in the centre, and most sights are within walking distance of the Plaza Grande, though the heat and narrow pavements slow you down. Taxis and ride-hailing cover the rest of the city, and buses run to Chichen Itza and Progreso.

Huatulco is spread over several bays. Beyond La Crucecita and Santa Cruz, which you can walk between, you rely on taxis or colectivos, and the remoter coves need a boat or a car. In both places a hire car makes trips out much easier.

Neither town is for fashion, and both sell regional crafts, but they come from different traditions and Merida offers far more choice. Huatulco's stalls around La Crucecita's plaza and in Santa Cruz carry Oaxacan work, such as embroidered blouses, black pottery and painted alebrijes, along with mezcal and coffee from the hills. The selection is small and mixed in with beach souvenirs, and serious buyers keep their money for Oaxaca city.

Merida's crafts are Yucatecan. Hammocks are sold in both places, but here they are the local speciality, woven in every size, alongside guayabera shirts, fine palm-fibre hats from Becal and huipiles embroidered with flowers. Away from the crowded market streets, galleries in the restored houses of the centre sell better pieces, and the malls in the north have the brands and department stores that Huatulco lacks entirely.

Both are good value, but your money goes further in Merida. Market meals, free cantina snacks, cheap taxis and free cultural evenings keep daily costs very low, and even the boutique hotels around courtyard pools are fair for the quality. The bigger costs are car hire and entrance fees at the ruins.

Huatulco can be cheap if you stay in La Crucecita and eat at fondas. All-inclusive resorts, boat tours and the winter high season all push the cost up.

Merida has a real performing arts scene, and Huatulco has almost none. The city council puts on free shows in the squares, including jarana dancing, trova serenades in the Parque Santa Lucia and the Mayan ballgame in front of the cathedral. The Teatro José Peón Contreras hosts the Yucatan Symphony Orchestra and ballet.

In Huatulco, entertainment means a folk dance show at a resort or music on the plaza during festivals.

Huatulco is the more restful of the two. Its low-rise, uncrowded bays slow you down without any effort, and the resort spas in Tangolunda and Conejos are well equipped. The temazcal, a herbal steam bath taken in a small dome, is the local ritual to try.

In Merida you relax in courtyard hotels with plunge pools and hammocks, or at hacienda spas outside town. Traffic noise in the centre and the exhausting heat from April to June both work against a restful stay.