Madeira or Réunion?

Neither island is a beach destination, but Madeira is the weaker of the two for swimming. Its sand at Calheta and Machico is imported, and most swimming is from lidos, sea ladders and the volcanic pools at Porto Moniz, in Atlantic water that is cool for much of the year. A proper stretch of sand means adding a few nights on Porto Santo.

Réunion gives a more dependable daily swim. The reef-protected lagoons between Saint-Gilles and Saint-Leu are warm, clear and full of fish over the coral, although they are shallow and busy at weekends. Because of the shark risk the open ocean is off limits, so you have to base yourself on the west coast.

The two islands eat equally well but very differently. Madeira's cooking centres on the grill and the wine cellar: espetada on bay-wood skewers, black scabbardfish with banana, bolo do caco, and old vintages tasted in Funchal's lodges, which also has the island's few smarter tables.

Réunion cooks spiced Creole pots, carri and rougail, with Tamil, Gujarati and Chinese snacks bought from roadside vans. Rum arrangé replaces Madeira wine as the local drink, and the meals people remember are table d'hôte dinners up in the cirques rather than anything formal on the coast.

Madeira's heritage sits in one compact town. Funchal, a 15th-century sugar port, holds the carved cedar ceiling of the Sé, the merchant-family house museums and the wine lodges, so a day or two on foot in the old town covers most of it.

Réunion's culture is spread around the island and lived rather than displayed. Tamil temples, mosques and pagodas stand side by side in ordinary towns, and Creole villas line Rue de Paris in Saint-Denis. Its best museums tell the island's own story, from the volcano to sugar and slavery at the Villèle estate.

Both islands go to bed early, so neither is the place for a night-out trip. Madeira's evenings happen in Funchal's Zona Velha, with small bars and poncha counters spilling into old-town lanes. Réunion's scene sits by the sea at Saint-Gilles-les-Bains, with sunset beach bars and a handful of clubs that fill on Friday and Saturday nights.

Both are first-rate walking islands, but the scale is different. Madeira is the gentler, more accessible of the two. Its levada paths run level through the laurel forest to waterfalls such as the 25 Fontes, and the ridge from Pico do Arieiro to Pico Ruivo makes a hard but single day, with walking possible in every season.

Réunion is wilder and asks more of you. The cirques of Cilaos, Salazie and Mafate are walled by cliffs a thousand metres high, Mafate can only be crossed on foot, Piton des Neiges is climbed overnight for sunrise, and Piton de la Fournaise is an active volcano. Its wet season closes trails, so plan for May to November.

On both islands the best days out are into the landscape, and neither has a major town nearby to visit. Madeira's fast coastal road lets a single loop take in Câmara de Lobos, Santana and Porto Moniz, and Porto Santo offers a real change of island by ferry. Réunion's outings, such as the Creole houses of Hell-Bourg, the vanilla country around Saint-Philippe and the market at Saint-Pierre, are more varied but take longer on winding roads, and Mauritius is a flight away.

Réunion is the easier island with young children, mostly because of its lagoon. At L'Hermitage and La Saline toddlers can paddle and older children snorkel in warm, shallow water. Kélonia's turtles, the crocodile park and the Cité du Volcan cover the rainy days, and French healthcare and supermarkets make the practical side simple.

Madeira has its own treats, including the cable car to Monte, the wicker toboggan ride down and the dolphin boats. Even so, there is little sand and Funchal's steep streets are tiring with a pushchair, so most families stay in a resort hotel with pools.

Madeira is the simpler island to move around. Its fast tunnelled road brings the south coast and much of the north within an hour, Funchal's seafront and old town can be walked, and taxis or guided tours reach the trailheads for those who do not drive. Only the hairpin roads up to the peaks are hard going.

On Réunion a hire car is close to essential, and the island's size is misleading. Rush-hour traffic slows the coast, the road to Cilaos twists through hundreds of bends, the volcano or Salazie takes a full morning, and Mafate is reached only on foot or by helicopter.

Madeira's souvenirs are mostly made by hand: embroidery on linen, a craft here since the 19th century, wickerwork from Camacha, and bottles bought in the old Funchal wine lodges. Réunion's are mostly grown and bottled, with vanilla from the south-east, spices and rum arrangé from the Saint-Paul and Saint-Pierre markets, and Cilaos embroidery as its needlework. Anyone after fashion or design will find little more than chain stores on either.

Madeira is the cheaper of the two. Grill houses, market produce, poncha and local wine are good value, and rooms in Funchal stay reasonable outside New Year and Easter. Car hire and clifftop resort hotels are the main extra costs.

Réunion is priced like France, and imported goods cost more again. West-coast beach hotels are expensive in the southern winter and during French school vacations. Mountain gîtes, self-catering and lunch from the snack vans help, and on both islands the trails cost nothing.

Réunion has the more distinctive sound. Maloya, the UNESCO-recognised drum-and-chant tradition, is still played at informal kabars and on festival stages, and sega fills the bars and village fêtes. The Sakifo festival in Saint-Pierre is worth timing a trip around.

Madeira's stage is smaller and more conventional. It has concerts and the regional orchestra at the 19th-century Teatro Baltazar Dias, fado evenings in the old town and the bailinho folk dance at festivals. It is pleasant to come across rather than a reason to go.

Both islands suit a slow, restful stay, though in different settings. Madeira has no springs and rests on its long history as a winter retreat. It offers cliff-top hotel spas with seawater pools, quiet quintas and afternoons in the botanical and Monte gardens. Réunion has a genuine thermal spa in the mountain town of Cilaos, and its most restful nights are spent in highland gîtes, where the cool air and silence after dark do the work.