Lagos, Portugal or Marbella?

The two are close here, but the beaches are very different. Lagos has small golden coves such as Camilo and Dona Ana, set under honey-coloured cliffs and sea stacks and reached by long wooden stairs. For space there is the open 4km sweep of Meia Praia. The Atlantic water is clear but fresh.

Marbella's shore is longer, flatter and more organised. Greyish sand runs from La Venus to Cabopino, lined with sunbeds, beach clubs and chiringuitos. The sea is a little warmer and stays swimmable a few weeks longer.

Both towns grill sardines, but Marbella has the wider range. You can eat Andalusian tapas around the Casco Antiguo and gazpacho or ajoblanco on the beach, and there is a real top tier of tasting-menu kitchens along the Golden Mile.

Lagos is simpler and almost all about fish: sea bream and octopus off the charcoal, cataplana, and the riverside market. It has little fine dining, and the best meals are in plain family places away from the tourist lanes.

Neither town has much for a culture trip, and each can be seen in a morning or an afternoon. What differs is the story they tell. Lagos is about the fifteenth-century voyages, with its walls, the gilded baroque church of Santo António and the slave market museum. Marbella offers the Plaza de los Naranjos, a museum of Spanish prints, Dalí bronzes on the Avenida del Mar and Roman mosaics at Río Verde.

Marbella has the bigger and smarter night out. Yachts sit in front of champagne bars at Puerto Banús, clubs run until dawn, and daytime beach clubs turn into evening parties, with dress and prices to match.

Lagos is livelier than its size suggests, but it is a bar town. Backpackers and surfers move between small bars and pubs in the old town, and a few small clubs stay open late. In both places the scene largely closes down between November and March.

Lagos has the more dramatic coast. You can paddle among the arches and grottoes of Ponta da Piedade or walk cliff paths towards Luz. The empty Costa Vicentina, with the Fishermen's Trail and surf breaks open all year, is close by.

Marbella's best scenery is in the mountains. La Concha rises straight behind the town, with views to Morocco on clear days, and the fir forests of Sierra de las Nieves and the Caminito del Rey are within reach. Its own shoreline, though, is heavily built up.

Marbella is much the better base for days out. Ronda's gorge is about an hour away, Málaga's Alcazaba and Picasso Museum are closer still, and Gibraltar, the white villages such as Casares and even the Alhambra in Granada can all be done in a day.

From Lagos the standout is the cliff fortress at Sagres and Cape St Vincent, followed by the Moorish castle at Silves. After those the choice gets thin, and Faro and Tavira mean a long drive.

Marbella is a little easier with children. The town beaches are sheltered and lifeguarded, the flat promenade suits buggies and scooters, and there are many pool-centred resorts. Zoos, water parks and a cable car are spread along the coast within reach.

Lagos works well too, especially on the gently shelving sand of Meia Praia. The pretty coves, though, mean steep stairways, the cobbled lanes are hard with a pushchair, and the bigger attractions are further away.

Lagos is simpler to get around. The old town, marina and nearest coves are all a short walk apart, and a footbridge leads to Meia Praia, though the cobbles can be steep. A car only becomes necessary for the west coast and the hills.

Marbella stretches for kilometres between San Pedro and Cabopino, so hotels and beach clubs are far apart. Without a train, many visitors end up relying on taxis or a hire car even for evenings out.

For shopping, Marbella is far ahead. Puerto Banús has a strip of international fashion and jewellery labels, with a large shopping centre beside the port, and the old town lanes sell linen and leather. In Lagos, shopping means browsing: painted Algarve ceramics, cork goods, surf shops, and figs, almonds and medronho brandy from the market.

Lagos is the cheaper stay. Away from the main streets, a grilled fish lunch with a glass of local wine, or a coffee and pastry, is good value by European standards, and the coves and most of the sights are free.

Marbella is expensive by Spanish standards, especially at Puerto Banús and in the Golden Mile beach clubs. Old-town tapas bars and cheap buses help, and many visitors stay in a neighbouring town instead. In both places, rooms get much cheaper outside July and August.

Neither town is a place for live performance, but Marbella has a little more. In summer, big international pop and rock acts play an old quarry amphitheatre, and flamenco is staged in the old town, though mainly for visitors. Lagos offers fado and guitar evenings, cover bands and a small cultural centre. For serious music, Marbella's audiences go to Málaga, while from Lagos the nearest options are Faro or Lisbon.

Marbella is better set up for pampering. Large resort spas, retreats and detox clinics line the Golden Mile and the hills behind it, and a few Arab-style bathhouses offer hot and cold pools.

In Lagos, rest comes from a slow pace, with yoga and surf retreats towards Luz and the west coast. The thermal springs at Caldas de Monchique, used since Roman times, are an hour inland. Both towns are most restful from autumn to spring, away from the summer crowds.