Orange Beach or Sarasota?

These are equally fine beaches of soft white quartz sand and calm, warm Gulf water. The difference is in their layout. Orange Beach is one long unbroken strip backed by low dunes and condo towers, with Alabama Point and the neighbouring state park offering more open space.

Sarasota spreads its sand across a chain of keys, each with its own character. Siesta Key has sand so fine it stays cool underfoot, Lido is a short hop from downtown, Longboat and Anna Maria are quieter, and Venice is known for fossil shark teeth. The hazards differ too: rip currents and late-summer hurricane risk in Alabama, and occasional red tide on the Florida side.

Neither town is a reason to travel for food, and both rely on Gulf seafood. Orange Beach has the more distinct regional dishes, including deep-water Royal Red shrimp, chargrilled oysters and West Indies crab salad, eaten at fish houses on the back bays.

Sarasota has more variety of places to eat. Grouper sandwiches and stone crab claws sit alongside the bistros and wine bars of Main Street and St Armands Circle, and there are farmers' markets and the hearty Amish cooking and pie of Pinecraft.

This is where the two differ most. Orange Beach is a former fishing settlement turned condo strip, and its sights amount to one small local museum. Anything historic means driving to Pensacola or Mobile.

Sarasota has the Ringling, which deserves a full day for its Baroque art collection, John Ringling's Venetian Gothic mansion on the bay and the circus museum. Fans of modern architecture can also look for Sarasota School houses and the 1920s buildings of Burns Court, though there is no old quarter in either town.

Evenings out are low-key in both, with no club scene in either, but the mood is different. Orange Beach is the rowdier of the two in season. The ramshackle Flora-Bama roadhouse on the state line keeps going late on summer weekends, and spring break brings in a loud, young crowd.

Sarasota is more grown-up: wine and cocktail bars on Main Street, sunset drinks in Siesta Key Village, and an older crowd that heads home early. Anyone wanting a big night drives to Tampa or St Petersburg.

Both are flat coastal country with wildlife and water, and there is little to choose between them overall. Orange Beach is better for cycling and fishing. A long paved trail runs through pine woods and alligator ponds, the charter fleet is one of the busiest on the Gulf, and the artificial reefs offshore draw anglers and divers.

Sarasota's strengths are paddling and parkland. Kayakers can follow the mangrove tunnels off Lido Key and look for manatees in the bay, and Myakka River State Park has a treetop canopy walkway over its prairies. Sarasota can be enjoyed outdoors right through winter, while Orange Beach is at its best during the spring and autumn bird migrations.

The day trips are equally good but different in flavour. From Orange Beach they lean towards history: Pensacola's Spanish quarter and brick forts, Mobile's antebellum streets and battleship, Fort Morgan, and the car ferry to Dauphin Island.

From Sarasota the outings are more urban and varied: the Dalí Museum in St Petersburg across the Sunshine Skyway, Ybor City's cigar heritage in Tampa, Greek Tarpon Springs, and the Edison and Ford winter estates at Fort Myers.

Orange Beach is the easier town with children because it is designed for them. Rentals with pools and kitchens are the norm, and on days off the beach there are dolphin boats, a Ferris wheel and mini golf, with a water park, zoo and small theme park all close by.

Sarasota has the gentler sea, especially off Siesta and Lido Keys, plus the Mote Marine aquarium and the circus model at the Ringling. Beyond those it has fewer attractions for children, and the nearest big theme park is well over an hour away.

You will need a car in either town, but Sarasota is less of a struggle. Downtown, St Armands Circle and Siesta Key Village are each pleasant to walk around, and a free trolley runs along Siesta Key.

Orange Beach is strung along a single highway that slows to a crawl in summer, and walking only works within the block where you are staying. Bicycles on the paved trails are the one real alternative. Sarasota's traffic jams build up on the bridges to the keys, mostly in winter.

Sarasota is the more enjoyable place for a browse. St Armands Circle has galleries, jewellery and resort wear, and Main Street and Palm Avenue have independent boutiques.

In Orange Beach, shopping means beachwear, souvenirs and fishing tackle along the main road. Most visitors drive twenty minutes inland to the outlet mall at Foley for brand names at lower prices.

Both charge American resort prices, but Orange Beach usually works out somewhat cheaper. Sharing a large condo and cooking some meals there helps groups and families in particular.

The cheap seasons are opposites. Orange Beach is good value from late autumn to early spring, exactly when winter visitors push Sarasota to its most expensive. Sarasota is cheaper in summer and early autumn, and staying on the mainland rather than the keys saves more.

Sarasota is far ahead here for a city its size. It has an opera company in a restored 1920s theatre, a ballet known for its Ashton repertoire, a full orchestral season, and the Asolo Rep on the Ringling grounds, mostly running from autumn to spring.

Orange Beach offers touring country and rock acts at the marina amphitheatre, cover bands in the beach bars, and the Frank Brown songwriters' festival each November. There is no theatre or classical music at all.

Neither town has a real bathing culture, but Sarasota has more to offer. There are spas on Longboat and Lido Keys, sunrise yoga on the sand, and the warm spring-fed pool at Warm Mineral Springs to the south.

In Orange Beach, relaxation mostly means slow mornings and sunsets over the back bays, plus a few resort spas. Its calm months fall from autumn to spring, the same months when winter crowds can make Sarasota less peaceful.