Kuching or Malacca?

Neither city is a beach destination, but Kuching gets closer. Damai and Santubong, about forty minutes north, have proper sand backed by jungle and the peak of Mount Santubong, even if the water is often silty.

Malacca's own shoreline is reclaimed land and mudflat on a busy shipping lane, and Klebang is for sunsets rather than swimming. The nearest real sand, at Tanjung Bidara, is 30km up the coast and the water is no clearer, so the hotel pool does most of the work.

Both cities are worth visiting for their food, and in each it is cooking you won't easily find anywhere else. Kuching's table is Sarawakian: laksa for breakfast, kolo mee, Dayak dishes such as midin fern and chicken cooked in bamboo, and seafood grilled by weight at the riverside courts.

Malacca's is Nyonya: ayam pongteh, assam fish, chicken rice rolled into balls, satay celup dipped into a shared pot, and cendol made with dark palm sugar. Kristang curries from the Portuguese Settlement add a third layer. Neither city has much fine dining.

Malacca has the deeper heritage. Its UNESCO-listed core packs the Stadthuys and Christ Church, the Portuguese ruin on St Paul's Hill, the Porta de Santiago and the Peranakan merchant houses of Heeren Street into a few streets. Harmony Street lines up a temple, a mosque and a Hindu temple within a few hundred metres.

Kuching's story is narrower but unusual. The White Rajahs' Astana and Fort Margherita face the Old Court House across the river. The Borneo Cultures Museum is the better of the two cities' museums for understanding indigenous peoples, but the whole set fits comfortably into two days.

Both cities wind down early, and evenings in each are mostly about food. Kuching has a little more choice of places to drink, with pubs, rooftop bars and live-band lounges around Jalan Padungan and a few clubs at weekends. Malacca's evenings centre on the Jonker Street night market and a few quiet riverside spots for a beer, and the old town is quiet on weeknights.

This is the widest gap between the two. From Kuching you can watch orangutans at Semenggoh, go looking for proboscis monkeys and pitcher plants at Bako, and take night frog walks at Kubah. There are also dolphin and firefly boat trips on the Santubong estuary, and Gunung Gading has rafflesia flowers.

Malacca sits on flat plantation country. The river path, the mangroves near the Straits and the island of Pulau Besar make easy mornings. The only real climb, Gunung Ledang, is about an hour and a half away across the Johor border.

Outings from the two cities are of a different kind. Kuching's lead to Borneo's peoples rather than to towns: the longhouses of the Sarawak Cultural Village, the living Bidayuh community at Annah Rais, and small places such as Siniawan, Bau and the border market at Serikin.

Malacca's lead to other towns. Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya can be done in a long day, Muar has a riverside of colonial buildings, and Negeri Sembilan has buffalo-horn Minangkabau roofs.

Kuching is the better choice for children, mainly because of its animals: orangutans arriving at Semenggoh and monkeys at Bako tend to stay with children long after the trip. The cultural village dances and the city's cat statues add lighter moments. Bako's boat ride and rough trails do suit older children best.

Malacca has more that is built for children, including Zoo Melaka, the Ayer Keroh water parks, the revolving tower and the trishaws. On the other hand, weekend crowds in the old town and patchy pavements make days there harder work.

Malacca is easier to get around. Dutch Square, St Paul's Hill, Jonker Street and Harmony Street are joined by a riverside path, a hired bicycle works well early in the morning, and long-distance buses leave from Melaka Sentral.

Kuching's centre is just as compact, and the wooden sampans across the river are a pleasure. The difference is that its main sights lie outside town, so reaching Bako, Semenggoh or the beaches means paying for a driver, a taxi or a tour. In both cities, ride-hailing apps cover what walking cannot.

In both cities, the things worth buying are small and local, and there is no luxury shopping in either. Kuching sells Borneo crafts: rattan, beadwork and handwoven Iban pua kumbu in the Main Bazaar shophouses, plus Sarawak pepper, kek lapis and the jungle produce at Satok market. Malacca's speciality is antiques and Peranakan craft along Jonker Street, from old porcelain to beaded slippers, kebaya blouses and painted tiles.

Both are cheap places to eat and sleep, and in both, heavily taxed alcohol can cost more than the day's meals. Where the money goes is different. In Kuching it is the boats, drivers and guided tours needed to reach the parks, which add up quickly for anyone travelling alone. In Malacca it is the old-town boutique hotels at weekends and during school vacations, so coming midweek saves the most.

Neither city has a theatre or concert season, and each has one thing worth planning around. Kuching has the Rainforest World Music Festival, held each year at the foot of Mount Santubong, plus sape music and dance at the cultural village. Malacca has a staged history show on a rotating platform, which runs as a regular performance. The rest is community tradition: dondang sayang verses, Kristang branyo dancing at the Festa San Pedro, and lion dances in the shophouse lanes.

Kuching is the more restful of the two. Its slow riverside pace holds through the week, and the resort spas at Damai and Santubong offer treatments with jungle and sea views.

Malacca can be just as gentle on a weekday morning, with a long kopitiam breakfast and a walk by the river. At weekends, though, crowds, traffic and the night market change the mood, so anyone coming to unwind should go midweek. Both cities have plenty of inexpensive reflexology and massage shops.