Menorca or Provence?

Menorca has the better beaches, and the whole island is built around them. The south coast has white-sand coves between pine-covered cliffs, many with no buildings at all. The north has red sand and darker rock, and longer resort beaches suit anyone carrying a lot of gear. Wherever you stay, the sea is close.

Provence's coast differs in kind. Pampelonne has beach clubs, Porquerolles and Hyères have pale, shallow water, and the calanques are rocky inlets reached on foot or by boat. The catch is geography: from the Luberon or the Alpilles the sea is a long drive away, and a mistral can cool the water for days.

Provence is far stronger for eating. Its weekly markets in Aix, Apt and dozens of villages are a reason to visit in themselves. Add bouillabaisse in Marseille, daube and aïoli inland, and wine from Bandol to Châteauneuf-du-Pape within easy reach.

Menorca has a short list of real local food: lobster caldereta in Fornells, Mahón cheese bought at the farm, sobrassada and a glass of pomada on the quay. Away from the harbours, resort menus are generic and many kitchens close out of season.

Provence could fill a fortnight of sightseeing. There is the Palais des Papes and the medieval walls of Avignon, the Roman arena at Arles, the theatre at Orange, Cézanne's Aix, Marseille's MuCEM and the Cistercian abbeys, all spread across several towns.

Menorca has something Provence does not: hundreds of Talayotic monuments such as Naveta des Tudons and the taulas, scattered as open sites through the farmland. Together with Gothic Ciutadella and the British-era harbour of Mahón, that is two or three days of sightseeing rather than a whole trip.

Both places are mostly about dinner and a drink, but Provence has more for anyone who wants to stay out. Marseille has a proper city scene of bars and late clubs around Cours Julien and La Plaine, and Saint-Tropez has its summer beach clubs and yacht crowd.

On Menorca the late nights happen on the harbour fronts in July and August, and at a club in a sea cave near Cala en Porter. The real highlight is the summer festes, above all Sant Joan in Ciutadella in June.

Provence has the grander and more varied outdoors. You can walk the rim of the Verdon gorge, cycle up Mont Ventoux, hike the cliffs of the Calanques or watch flamingos and white horses in the Camargue. In high summer, fire closures can shut some trails.

Menorca is gentler and centred on the sea. The Camí de Cavalls circles the island for about 185km past coves and watchtowers, S'Albufera des Grau is good for birds, and kayaking and snorkelling along the cliffs are easy to arrange. Inland the ground rises only as far as Monte Toro, and there is no canyon or high mountain to climb.

This is where the two differ most. From almost any base in Provence you can reach Gordes, Roussillon, Les Baux, the Pont du Gard, Cassis or a wine village within an hour, and after a week there are still places left to see.

On Menorca, a day out mostly means the town at the other end of the island, Fornells or Binibeca. The one bigger outing is the long ferry crossing to Alcúdia and Pollença on Mallorca.

Menorca is the easier island for children. Sheltered, shallow beaches such as Arenal d'en Castell and Son Saura, low-rise resorts and drives that never drag make the logistics simple, though the prettiest southern coves mean a walk with all the gear.

In Provence a family vacation usually means a rented house with a pool. Canoeing on the Sorgue or riding in the Camargue appeals to older children, but July heat, long drives and cobbled perched villages make it harder going with toddlers.

Menorca is a little simpler. The island is only about 50km long, one main road links Mahón and Ciutadella, and most drives take well under an hour. The awkward part is the last stretch to the popular coves, where car parks fill early and shuttles take over.

Provence works the other way round. Trains link Marseille, Aix, Avignon and Arles easily, but the villages, abbeys and gorges need a car, and the roads mean narrow hill lanes, scarce parking and summer jams on the way into Saint-Tropez.

Provence offers much more to browse. There are the antiques dealers of L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, market stalls of printed fabrics and olive wood, Moustiers faience, Marseille soap, fashion shops in Aix and a summer cluster of luxury boutiques in Saint-Tropez.

Menorca's shopping is a short list of local goods: avarca sandals, leather from Ciutadella and Alaior, Mahón cheese and island gin, with craft markets moving between the towns on summer evenings.

Both are expensive in July and August, so the difference lies in where the savings are. On Menorca they come from renting an apartment, cooking with market produce and eating in the inland towns, while the beaches and many prehistoric sites cost nothing.

In Provence the savings come from choosing the base. Marseille, Avignon, Arles and the lesser-known villages are much more reasonable than the Luberon villas or the Saint-Tropez coast, and set lunch menus and local wine keep daily costs down. Both are cheaper in June and September.

Provence is a destination for performances in its own right in summer. The Avignon theatre festival takes over the Palais des Papes and almost every hall in town in July, Aix stages opera of international rank in the Archbishop's Palace courtyard, and Orange puts on opera in its Roman theatre.

Menorca's offer is small but real: the Teatre Principal in Mahón, dating from 1829, summer organ recitals at Santa Maria and a classical festival in Ciutadella. On most evenings there is no stage to go to.

Provence has more to offer here. There is a thermal spa on the Roman baths site in Aix, the old spa towns of Gréoux-les-Bains and Digne-les-Bains, and country hotels offering lavender and olive-oil treatments, along with a slow rhythm of markets and long lunches.

Menorca relaxes you through its quiet rather than its spas. Farmhouse stays, low-rise resorts and calm harbour evenings, especially in June and September, suit anyone who simply wants to switch off. Spa treatments are limited to the larger hotels and rural estates.