Leon, Nicaragua or Tamarindo?

León's coast at Poneloya and Las Peñitas, about 20km away, has grey volcanic sand, heavy surf and strong rips. It is good for surfers and for a few lazy guesthouse nights, but swimming is limited to the shallows.

Tamarindo is built around its beach: a long golden bay with gentle, steady waves for first surf lessons and a quieter southern end. Nearby are calm Langosta, wild Playa Grande and the shell sand of Playa Conchal for snorkelling. Rip currents and the crocodile estuary still call for care, but for days on the sand it is far ahead.

Neither town is a food destination, and they eat in different ways. León is local and cheap: fritanga grills on the pavement at night, counters in the Mercado Central serving soup and the plate of the day, quesillo everywhere and nacatamales at weekends, with rum to drink.

Tamarindo's menu is shaped by its foreign residents, so fish tacos, poke, wood-fired pizza and Argentine grills sit beside Costa Rican sodas serving casados and ceviche. León gives you more of a local table and Tamarindo more choice of dinners, though in both the options start to repeat after a while.

León is a heritage destination in its own right, and its past lives in the streets themselves rather than in one monument. The old town keeps its low colonial grid, the indigenous quarter of Subtiava has a history and character of its own, and restored colonial houses hold the Ortiz-Gurdián collection of Latin American and European art. Even the smaller museums, such as the legends gathered in a former prison, tell you something about the place. Nicaragua's capital until 1852 and long its university and liberal centre, it rewards anyone who likes to read a city's story as they walk.

Tamarindo has nothing like this, so culture there is an excursion rather than a backdrop. The nearest heritage lies an hour or so inland, at the pottery village of Guaitil and Nicoya's colonial church. They make a pleasant break from the beach, but nobody bases a heritage trip on this coast.

Both have small, lively scenes rather than deep ones, and the difference is the setting. León's nights belong to students and backpackers in hostel bars, rum joints with plastic tables and a few salsa and reggaeton clubs near the cathedral. They are busy from Thursday to Saturday and quiet midweek, and a taxi home is wise late at night.

Tamarindo starts with sunset drinks on the sand, moves to open-air bars on the main road and has a big night that rotates between venues, so something is on most evenings. Couples staying at Langosta or Playa Grande can stay out of earshot of it.

Both are strong outdoor bases, but they face different ways. León looks inland to the Maribios volcanoes: sandboarding down Cerro Negro, night views into Telica's glowing crater, and hard early climbs up San Cristóbal and Momotombo. On the coast are the Juan Venado mangroves and their nesting turtles.

Tamarindo looks to the sea, with surf breaks for every level, diving at the Catalinas Islands, sportfishing and estuary kayaking among crocodiles and howler monkeys. Leatherback turtles nest at Las Baulas, and the fumaroles and waterfalls of Rincon de la Vieja lie about two hours inland. Choose by whether you would rather climb or be in the water.

León has the stronger day out in León Viejo, the ash-buried first Spanish city on Lake Managua, a UNESCO site about an hour away. It also has a rum distillery tour near Chichigalpa and the pilgrimage basilica at El Viejo, though Granada and Masaya are too far for a comfortable return trip.

Tamarindo's outings are mostly into nature. Its town visits are Guaitil for Chorotega pottery, Nicoya's old colonial church and folkloric Santa Cruz, and rough roads in the wet season slow any trip along the coast.

Tamarindo is the clear choice with children. Gentle waves make children's surf lessons easy, and Langosta has calmer water at low tide. Boat trips to spot monkeys, night turtle visits, zip-lines and horse riding fill the days, and families can sleep away from the noisy main strip.

León's people are warm and its centre is small, but there is little else for children: draining heat, broken pavements and a rough surf coast. Adventurous teenagers will enjoy volcano boarding, while younger children tend to end up in the hotel pool.

León is the easier of the two. The cathedral, churches, museums and markets are all within about fifteen minutes' walk on a compact grid, taxis and tricycle taxis cover the rest, and old buses or tourist shuttles reach the coast and the volcanoes, so a car is never needed.

In Tamarindo you can walk along the sand, but the road has few pavements, and beyond town the buses miss most beaches. Visitors rely on shuttles, taxis, golf carts or a rental car. A four-wheel drive is best for the southern beaches in the rains.

Neither is worth planning a day around, and what they sell differs. León's shopping is its working markets, good for a wander, plus a few shops near the cathedral selling hammocks, leather, coffee and rum. Tamarindo's is surf gear, swimwear, linen and souvenir stalls, and its Guaitil pottery is better bought in the village itself.

León is one of the cheapest stops in the Americas. Guesthouses, fritanga suppers, local rum and buses to the coast all cost very little, and even a boutique hotel in a colonial house or a guided volcano climb stays modest.

Tamarindo is in Central America's most expensive country, and its rooms, meals and tours cost close to North American prices. Transport adds up because so little is within walking distance. Surf camps, hostels and sodas help, and the wet season is cheaper, but the same budget goes much further in León.

Neither has much of a stage, but León has more to show. Its neoclassical Teatro Municipal hosts occasional concerts and folk dance, and the Gigantona dances through the streets to drums. Holy Week in Subtiava and the Purísima and Gritería in December fill the town with processions, singing and fireworks.

In Tamarindo, live music means bands and acoustic sets in beach bars and the odd fire dancer. Guanacaste's folk music and dance belong to the festivals in Santa Cruz.

Tamarindo is the better place to unwind. Daily yoga classes, surf and yoga retreats, and massage from beach tables to resort spas are easy to find, and a stay at Langosta or Playa Grande means quiet mornings and afternoons in a hammock.

León has a few cheap massage rooms and a hot centre loud with traffic, so its calm comes from a courtyard pool or a few slow days in the beach villages. Neither has a bathing tradition, though the hot springs around Rincon de la Vieja are about two hours from Tamarindo.