Koh Lanta or Penang?

Koh Lanta is the beach destination of the two. One west-coast bay follows another, from the long, tree-lined sand of Long Beach to the jungle-backed coves near the national park, and boats run out to the white sand of Koh Kradan and Koh Ngai. The catch is the season, because from May the surf and currents make swimming risky.

Penang's main strip at Batu Ferringhi is a resort front of jet skis and parasailing, and the water there is cloudy and visited by jellyfish at times. The nicer sand at Monkey Beach and Kerachut needs a forest walk or a small boat, which makes it a day out rather than the backbone of a stay.

Food is where Penang pulls far ahead. Hokkien, Malay, Tamil and Peranakan kitchens each bring their own dishes, so a few days can take in char kway teow, assam laksa, nasi kandar, banana-leaf meals in Little India and Nyonya cooking. Most of it is eaten at hawker centres and old coffee shops rather than in smart restaurants.

Koh Lanta eats honestly but within a narrow range: seafood grilled on the beach, southern Thai curries and roti from the island's Muslim kitchens, and crab at the stilt restaurants of the Old Town. After a week, many visitor menus start to look alike.

The two places share a history, since Lanta Old Town once traded with Penang, but the scale is very different. George Town is a UNESCO-listed port with the carved Khoo Kongsi, the clan jetties, the Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion and, outside town, the great pagoda of Kek Lok Si.

On Koh Lanta, heritage means one street of wooden shophouses over the water and the Urak Lawoi village at Sang Ka U. Both are pleasant for an afternoon but would not fill a day.

Neither is a place for a big night, but Penang gives you more choice. Backpacker bars fill Love Lane and the streets around Chulia Street, Upper Penang Road keeps late hours with a few clubs, and restored shophouses serve cocktails.

Koh Lanta's evenings are a cushion on the sand at Long Beach or Klong Dao, reggae and a fire show, and many of those bars shut outside the dry season. Partygoers take the boat to Phi Phi.

Koh Lanta has the edge, and most of it lies offshore. From November to April, boats go to the Emerald Cave on Koh Mook and the limestone islands of the Trang coast, and divers reach Koh Haa and the pinnacles of Hin Daeng and Hin Muang, where mantas and whale sharks pass. On land there are mangroves to kayak and the national park's lighthouse headland.

Penang's nature is on land and can be reached all year. There is rainforest on Penang Hill with a canopy walkway and cooler air, coastal trails in the national park to turtle beaches and a meromictic lake, and orchard country around Balik Pulau for cycling.

Penang has more places to visit within a day. The train reaches Ipoh in about two hours, with its cave temples and colonial old town, and Taiping's lake garden can be paired with royal Kuala Kangsar. The Bujang Valley temple ruins add early history.

From Koh Lanta, outings mostly mean island-hopping for scenery, to crowded Phi Phi or quieter Koh Mook, plus Krabi Town and Ao Nang on the mainland. In the monsoon even those become harder to reach.

Both work for children, but in different ways. Koh Lanta is a quiet beach-and-pool routine, with the soft, shallow sand of Klong Dao and family bungalows. There is nothing built for children, though, and serious medical care is about two hours away in Krabi.

Penang has more to do on the north coast: a water and adventure park at Teluk Bahang, a butterfly park, the Penang Hill funicular and the Botanic Gardens monkeys. The trade-offs are a sea that is poor for swimming, plus heat, traffic and stepped walkways in George Town that are hard work with a pushchair.

Penang is much the easier of the two. George Town's heritage core can be covered on foot, by trishaw or by bicycle, buses run out to Batu Ferringhi, and cheap ride-hailing covers the rest. The island has its own airport, and the ferry to Butterworth connects with the mainland railway.

Koh Lanta has no buses and one road down the west coast. Sidecar motorbike taxis, a hired scooter or a car are the only ways to get between beaches, and getting there means two to three hours by road and car ferry from Krabi airport.

Penang offers far more. Gurney Drive's malls cover everyday brands, and George Town has antique shops, Peranakan beadwork, batik studios, fabrics and gold in Little India, and nutmeg at the Chowrasta market.

On Koh Lanta, you will find sarongs and souvenirs along the main road and a little batik in the Old Town. Bring what you need.

Both are easy on the budget, and Penang is slightly cheaper. Hawker meals and ride-hailing cost very little, and most temples and street sights are free, though tax makes beer and wine expensive.

On Koh Lanta, bungalows and local food are cheap, but with no public transport the taxi and transfer fares add up, and beachfront resorts charge more around Christmas and New Year. Staying in the south or on the east coast keeps costs down.

Neither is a place to plan around performances, though Penang has some. The George Town Festival puts theatre and music on the heritage streets for a few weeks each year, and temple festivals bring Chinese street opera, puppet shows and lion dances.

Koh Lanta's entertainment is fire twirling on the sand, an occasional reggae band and Muay Thai bouts at small local rings.

Koh Lanta is the more restful place. There are massage pavilions on almost every beach, yoga retreats around Long Beach and the southern bays, and quiet Kantiang Bay is the place for a restorative stay. The whole island moves at hammock pace.

Penang has cheap reflexology and massage shops on every street in George Town, plus resort spas at Batu Ferringhi. The town itself is hot and full of traffic, so for real rest you need the cool top of Penang Hill or the countryside around Balik Pulau.