Miami Beach or Myrtle Beach?

Both are long strips of wide, pale Atlantic sand with greenish water, but Miami Beach has the edge. Its sea stays warm enough for swimming right through the winter, and its 11km of shore changes from the busy scene at South Beach to the calmer resort stretches of Mid-Beach and North Beach, with a paved beachwalk behind the dunes.

Myrtle Beach has far more sand, about 100km along the Grand Strand, and its shallow, gently shelving water with small waves is easy for children. The swimming season is much shorter, though, and the quieter beaches backed by dunes are south of the city at Garden City and the state parks.

Miami Beach eats much better. There are chef-led restaurants, plenty of seafood and strong Latin American cooking, with Cuban sandwiches, croquetas and cafecito from takeaway windows and stone crabs in winter. Skip the tourist menus on Ocean Drive and head for the side streets, North Beach's Latin cafés or Little Havana across the causeway.

Myrtle Beach's strip runs on buffets, pancake houses and chains. The good eating is fresh shrimp, oysters and flounder at Murrells Inlet, Calabash-style fried seafood over the North Carolina line and Lowcountry shrimp and grits. Even so, anyone who travels for food will have seen the best of it in a couple of evenings.

Neither is a great culture destination, but Miami Beach has a real sight of its own in the Art Deco Historic District: hundreds of pastel 1930s hotels, best seen on foot. Add the Wolfsonian, the Bass and the Holocaust Memorial, and the mainland's larger museums are just across the bay.

Myrtle Beach's culture fits into a single day out of town. Brookgreen Gardens sets sculpture among live oaks and tells the story of the people enslaved on the old rice plantation, and Atalaya stands in the state park next door. In the city itself there is very little.

Nightlife is where the two differ most. South Beach is a famous clubbing name, with guest DJs until dawn, afternoon pool parties and lobby bars designed for being seen, though dress codes, door policies and table service come with it. Sunset Harbour and Mid-Beach have calmer cocktail and wine bars.

Myrtle Beach goes out in shorts. There are beach bars and rooftop decks around the boardwalk and themed bars and dance clubs at the entertainment complexes, and in North Myrtle Beach the shag is still danced on Main Street. Outside summer much of it goes quiet early.

Both sit on a flat coast with no hills or hiking, and in both the summer heat pushes activity into the early morning. Miami Beach's outdoor life is mostly on the water: paddling on the bay, and reefs and wrecks offshore for snorkelling and diving. The Everglades and Biscayne National Park are also within reach.

Myrtle Beach is quieter and more about wildlife and golf. Herons, ospreys and alligators can be seen from the marsh boardwalks at Huntington Beach State Park, the cypress swamps of the Waccamaw River are good for kayaking, and dozens of golf courses line the Grand Strand.

Both need a car for almost every outing, so the difference is in kind. From Miami Beach the best trips are to the city across the bay, for Little Havana, Wynwood, Vizcaya and Coral Gables, with Palm Beach and Key Largo further off.

Myrtle Beach looks to history. Charleston's antebellum streets and harbour forts make a long but rewarding day, and Georgetown's old port and rice-culture museum are much closer.

Myrtle Beach was built for this. Gentle surf, resort lazy rivers and suites with kitchens come with an aquarium, an amusement park with a wooden roller coaster, water parks and themed mini-golf all over town, so restless days are easy to fill.

Miami Beach gives children warm water with lifeguards and playgrounds in the beach parks, best enjoyed from a base in Mid-Beach or North Beach. The zoo and the museums for children are on the mainland, though, and South Beach is a party district. Neither suits young families during spring break.

In South Beach you can reach almost everything on foot, from the Art Deco streets to Lincoln Road, with free trolleys up Collins Avenue and a beachwalk for cycling. You only really need a car to leave the island, and buses get held up on the causeways.

Myrtle Beach is spread along about 100km of highway with few pavements and sparse buses, so even going out to dinner usually means driving, and summer traffic on Kings Highway is slow. Walking only works within the oceanfront blocks and along the sand.

Miami Beach has two kinds of shopping. Lincoln Road is a palm-shaded pedestrian mall of chain fashion, pleasant for an evening stroll, and Bal Harbour at the north end of the island gathers the big European fashion and jewellery houses. For design boutiques you have to cross to the mainland.

Myrtle Beach is for outlet bargains and beach gear. There are two large outlet centres, waterfront complexes, The Market Common and huge stores full of inflatables and souvenirs. Sweetgrass baskets sold along the road south are the main local craft.

Myrtle Beach is far easier on the wallet. It has huge numbers of motels and rental condos, kitchens that cut food bills and very cheap rooms outside the summer peak, though a hire car and July prices add up.

Miami Beach is expensive in season, with resort fees, parking charges and tips on top of high room rates and costly South Beach drinks. Summer rates, hotels in North Beach and Cuban takeaway windows soften the cost, and the beach is free in both places.

Miami Beach has real classical arts. The New World Symphony plays in its Frank Gehry hall, and some concerts are projected onto the outside wall for people on the lawn. Miami City Ballet is based here, and touring shows play the Jackie Gleason Theater, mostly from autumn to spring.

Myrtle Beach offers polished family entertainment instead: country, gospel and Christmas revues, dinner shows with pirates or knights, touring country and rock acts and cover bands in the beach bars. There is no orchestra season or serious drama.

Neither has a bathing tradition, so in both a restful stay means resort spas. Miami Beach does this more thoroughly. Its large hotel spas have saunas, steam rooms and plunge pools, there is sunrise yoga on the sand, and Mid-Beach and the stretch towards Surfside are made for calm pool days away from loud South Beach.

Myrtle Beach's spas are mostly treatment rooms at oceanfront hotels and golf resorts, and the summer strip is noisy. For a slower pace, stay around Pawleys Island and come in spring or autumn.