Huatulco or Tulum?

Both towns are built around the sea, but the coastlines are very different. Huatulco has nine separate bays with golden sand between rocky headlands, most of them sheltered and calm. Boat tours hop between coves, some with no road at all, and La Entrega has coral close enough to the shore for children to reach.

Tulum has one long stretch of pale sand and turquoise water, with the Maya ruins standing on the cliff above it. It is the more striking postcard view, but sargassum can pile up in the warmer months, and the beach is a ride from town rather than on the doorstep.

Tulum has a little more range, mainly in its candlelit restaurants on the beach road cooking over open fire, and in Yucatecan dishes such as sopa de lima and cochinita pibil from the taco stands in town. Many menus there do repeat the same ceviche-and-smoothie-bowl formula.

Huatulco's cooking is simpler and rooted in Oaxaca: mole, tlayudas and banana-leaf tamales at the La Crucecita market, and whole fish grilled in the palapas along the bays. You will eat well, but there are only a few serious restaurants.

Neither town is a cultural destination, but Tulum has one sight of real weight: the walled Maya port on the cliff edge, with El Castillo above the sea. Huatulco has the painted dome of the La Crucecita church, the small ceremonial site at Copalita and a colonial church inland, which together take a single morning.

Tulum is famous beyond Mexico for its nightlife: DJ sets in jungle clearings, beach clubs that run from sunset into the night, and full-moon parties that peak around New Year. Outside those big events the town is smaller than its reputation, with mezcal bars along the main avenue but no dense district to wander.

In Huatulco, an evening usually means a long dinner and a mezcal on the La Crucecita plaza. Most nights the town is quiet by midnight, and anyone looking for a party heads up the coast to Zipolite.

The outdoors is equally strong in both, but the landscapes have little in common. Huatulco has relief: a national park of dry forest ending in cliffs and coral, humpback whales offshore from December to March, rafting on the Copalita River and waterfalls in the coffee hills of the Sierra Sur.

Tulum is flat limestone jungle, and its best features are underground: cenotes and flooded caves such as Gran Cenote and Dos Ojos, which draw cavern snorkellers and cave divers from around the world. The mangroves and lagoons of Sian Ka'an add boat trips and wildlife, but there are no hills to walk.

From Tulum you can reach some of the great Maya sites. Coba's forest pyramid is under an hour away, and Chichen Itza pairs well with Valladolid or Ek Balam. Cozumel's reefs and the lagoon at Bacalar make for different kinds of day out.

Huatulco's best outing is a slower one along the coast to Mazunte, San Agustinillo, Puerto Ángel and Zipolite, with surfy Puerto Escondido a little further on. Oaxaca city is too far for a day trip and needs an overnight stay.

Both work for children who are happy in the water, but in different ways. Huatulco is the more relaxed base: a small, calm town with gentle coves and kids' clubs at the Tangolunda resorts. It has no attractions built for children, so older ones may get bored.

Tulum has the big eco-parks at Xel-Ha and Xcaret, cenotes with wooden steps, and turtles in the shallows at Akumal. Against that, much of the beach strip is aimed at adults, and families really need a hire car and a pool.

Huatulco is a little easier to get around. The bays are a short taxi ride apart, taxis are plentiful, and La Crucecita and the walk down to Santa Cruz can be done on foot. Tulum stretches along a highway with the beach several kilometres from town, so most people cycle on narrow roads, pay steep taxi fares or hire a car to reach the cenotes and ruins.

Tulum has more of it, with airy boutiques along the beach road selling linen dresses, macramé and woven bags, though the range is small and expensive. The main avenue in town has embroidered huipiles and silver at better prices.

Huatulco's market stalls are more craft than style, offering Oaxacan textiles, black pottery and alebrijes among a lot of beach souvenirs. Serious buyers save their money for Oaxaca city.

Huatulco is clearly the cheaper of the two. A guesthouse in La Crucecita, meals at fondas and short taxi rides keep a stay modest, and only the all-inclusive resorts and boat tours push the costs up.

Tulum is among the most expensive places to stay in Mexico. Beach-road hotels, restaurants, beach clubs and taxis all charge visitor prices, and each cenote has its own entry fee. You can keep costs down by staying in the town centre and cycling to the sea.

Neither town has a theatre or concert hall, so plan evenings around something else. Huatulco offers resort folk-dance shows and music on the plaza at festivals. Tulum has slightly more live music, with bar bands on the main avenue and saxophone and drums played over DJ sets.

Wellness is at the heart of Tulum. Yoga shalas, retreat hotels, open-air spas, sound baths and breathwork fill the beach road and the jungle behind it, and many places hold temazcal ceremonies. The one drawback is noise from party nights and the highway, so choose where you stay with care.

Huatulco offers its own temazcal steam baths and full spas at the Tangolunda and Conejos resorts, but far fewer retreats. What it does have is quiet: low-rise, uncrowded bays where rest comes without much effort.