La Palma or Lanzarote?

On La Palma the beach is a sideline. There are only a handful of black sand and pebble beaches, around Puerto Naos, Tazacorte and Los Cancajos, and the rest of the coast is rough open Atlantic. The rock pools at Charco Azul are often the nicer place to swim.

On Lanzarote the beach is the main event. The golden Papagayo coves, the long calm beaches of Playa Blanca and Puerto del Carmen, and black-sand Janubio for a wilder change give far more choice. The water is a touch cooler in winter, and the wind rarely stops.

Both islands cook the same Canarian basics: wrinkled potatoes with mojo, goat's cheese, gofio and grilled fish. Both also make Malvasia from vines grown in black ash. La Palma adds the piny vino de tea of its north-west and almond sweets such as bienmesabe, but its restaurant choice is narrow.

Lanzarote has more places to eat well, especially the seafront tables in fishing villages such as El Golfo, Arrieta and Órzola. The bodegas of La Geria make an easy afternoon. The resort menus made for package visitors are the part to skip.

La Palma's heritage is mostly in Santa Cruz: the Calle Real with its old churches and Renaissance town hall, and the balconied houses on the seafront. Outside the capital are the Benahoarita petroglyphs at La Zarza and the cave site at Belmaco. It is pleasant but quickly seen.

Lanzarote has more to visit, and something La Palma has no equal to: César Manrique's sites. The lava-tube garden at Jameos del Agua, the Mirador del Río and his house at Tahíche turn the volcanic ground into architecture. Teguise adds the cobbles and convents of the old capital.

Neither island is for nights out. Lanzarote at least has Puerto del Carmen, with pubs, karaoke and a few late clubs open all year, and weekend bars around the Charco de San Ginés in Arrecife.

La Palma has a few terraces on the squares of Santa Cruz and Los Llanos and nothing later. The exception is carnival, when the Los Indianos parade fills the capital with people in white throwing talcum powder.

Both islands are volcanic, but they look nothing alike. La Palma is steep, green and high. Pine forest surrounds the Caldera de Taburiente crater, laurel fills Los Tilos, a road climbs to about 2,400m at the Roque de los Muchachos, and the Ruta de los Volcanes crosses the cinder cones. For hikers it is the stronger island.

Lanzarote is bare and burnt. You see Timanfaya's red cones mostly from a coach, and walkers use nearby craters such as Caldera Blanca instead. Its strength is on the water, with surf at Famara, windsurfing and kitesurfing at Costa Teguise, and diving off Playa Blanca.

Lanzarote has the better outings, mainly two short ferries. Each takes about half an hour, one to car-free La Graciosa and the other to Corralejo and its dunes on Fuerteventura. Teguise's Sunday market and the palm valley of Haría fill another day.

From La Palma, a trip to Tenerife or La Gomera makes a long day. Outings mostly stay on the island, around San Andrés, Tazacorte and the Fuencaliente wineries.

Lanzarote is much the easier island with children. It has shallow beaches at Playa Dorada and Playa Grande, resorts with kids' clubs, a water park, camel rides at Timanfaya and short drives. The strong sun and the surf at Famara need watching.

La Palma suits older children who like walking, natural rock pools and a whale-watching boat trip. With few sandy beaches, no big attractions and winding mountain roads, it is harder going with younger ones.

On both islands a hire car does most of the work, but driving is far less effort on Lanzarote. The island is about 60km from end to end, the roads are good and quiet, and buses link the airport, Arrecife and the main resorts.

La Palma looks small on the map, but hairpin roads through deep ravines make every drive slow. Buses to trailheads are sparse, so a linear walk often ends with a taxi back to the car.

Neither island is a shopping destination, though Lanzarote offers a little more: the Sunday market in Teguise, aloe vera cosmetics, olivine jewellery, Manrique-designed objects and a mall in Arrecife. La Palma's best buys are local crafts with a history, such as hand-rolled cigars, silk from El Paso and embroidered linen, found in Santa Cruz, Los Llanos and the village markets.

La Palma is the slightly cheaper island. Rural houses and apartments, village restaurants and the low Canary sales tax keep everyday costs down. The hire car is unavoidable, though, and budget rooms are few.

Lanzarote has plenty of moderately priced apartments and package hotels in Puerto del Carmen and Costa Teguise. Admission to Timanfaya and the Manrique centres adds up over a stay, and the upscale hotels of Playa Blanca cost more.

On most nights there is little to attend on either island. Lanzarote's advantage is the occasional concert in the lava-tube auditoriums of Jameos del Agua or Cueva de los Verdes, which is worth planning a trip around. La Palma has the historic Teatro Circo de Marte in Santa Cruz and folk music at village fiestas, and every five years the Bajada de la Virgen adds pageants and theatre.

Both islands relax you through their slow pace rather than treatments, and neither has thermal baths. The difference is in kind. Lanzarote has proper hotel spas with thalasso pools in Playa Blanca and Costa Teguise, plus retreat houses in villages like Haría. La Palma's calm comes from a rural house among vineyards, long walks and dark night skies, and its spas are limited to a few coastal hotels.