Playa del Carmen or Valladolid, Mexico?

Playa del Carmen is built on its beach. There is sand from the beach clubs north of the ferry pier down to the broader, calmer stretch at Playacar, the water is warm and turquoise all year, and better bays at Xpu-Ha and Akumal are a short colectivo ride away. Summer sargassum and crowds in the centre are the only real drawbacks.

Valladolid is inland, so the nearest sea is about two hours away. What it offers is fresh-water swimming in Cenote Zací in town and in the cave pools of X'keken and Suytun nearby, which are cool, clear and memorable, but they are a stop between sights.

Playa del Carmen has more choice. Inland from Quinta Avenida there is al pastor, cochinita pibil and ceviche, and a long-settled Italian and Argentine community makes for good pizza, pasta and coffee. The avenue itself is uneven, so it pays to eat a few blocks back.

Valladolid's cooking is narrower but more its own. It has local dishes such as longaniza and lomitos, early-morning tacos at the municipal market and marquesitas in front of the cathedral. Beyond Yucatecan food there is little else.

Valladolid is the one to choose for sightseeing in town. Its shaded square sits under the twin towers of San Servacio, the Calzada de los Frailes is lined with ochre and blue houses, and the sixteenth-century convent of San Bernardino de Siena gives you a full colonial townscape that takes a couple of days to enjoy properly.

Playa del Carmen was a fishing village until a few decades ago, and in town there is little more than the small ruins of Xaman Ha in Playacar and the white seafront chapel. Its heritage is all out of town.

Playa del Carmen is the place for a night out. The strip around Calle 12 and Quinta Avenida has clubs playing reggaeton and house until the early hours, beach clubs run day parties and rooftops fill at sunset, and quieter mezcal bars lie further north. Expect touts and high drink prices on the strip.

In Valladolid the evening means a stroll round the lit square, a marquesita and perhaps a mezcal in a courtyard bar. The town is quiet well before midnight, and an early start for Chichén Itzá usually ends the night first.

Both sit on the same flat limestone, with cenotes as their natural wonder, but Playa del Carmen also has the sea. The Mesoamerican Reef and Cozumel's dive walls are offshore, Akumal has its turtles, and boats go out to the lagoons of Sian Ka'an, along with kitesurfing and paddleboarding.

Valladolid's outdoors is quieter and on land. Early bike rides take you out to the cenotes, there is birding in the forest, and boat trips run among the flamingos and pink salt flats of Ría Lagartos. Neither has hills or real hiking.

Valladolid is the better base for the great Maya sites. Chichén Itzá is about 45 minutes away, so you can be at the gates before the coach tours from the coast arrive, Ek Balam is half an hour north, and Cobá, yellow-painted Izamal and Río Lagartos are all within an easy day.

Playa del Carmen works best for the coastal side of the region. It has Tulum on its cliff, Cobá, the ferry to Cozumel and Isla Mujeres to the north. Chichén Itzá is a long day of more than two hours each way, and inland Valladolid itself is one of the outings.

Playa del Carmen is far easier with children. The Xcaret, Xel-Ha and Xplor parks fill whole days with underground rivers, lagoons and zip lines. The sea is calm inside the reef, and Playacar's resorts keep families away from the late-night strip.

Valladolid welcomes children and older ones enjoy the cenote rope swings and the ruins, but nothing there is built for them. Narrow pavements, long hot walks at the sites and fierce midday heat suit a slow pace with a pool hotel.

Both centres are small and flat enough to walk. Playa del Carmen is easier for getting further afield: colectivo vans run along the coast road to beaches and cenotes, buses go to the airport and Tulum, there is a ferry to Cozumel, and the Tren Maya stops at the edge of town.

Valladolid has a bike path to the nearer cenotes and buses to Chichén Itzá. Ek Balam, Cobá and Río Lagartos are hard to combine without a hire car or driver, and the empty straight roads make driving the obvious answer.

Neither is a shopping destination, but Playa del Carmen offers more. Kilometres of Quinta Avenida sell silver, Talavera, Huichol beadwork and linen, and there is an open-air mall with international brands, though much of it is souvenir stock. Valladolid keeps to Yucatecan crafts: huipiles, hammocks, sandals made in town, honey and Xtabentún from the market by Cenote Zací and the Calzada.

Valladolid is much the cheaper stay. Courtyard guesthouses, market meals and bike hire cost little, and rooms are far cheaper than on the coast. The main costs are site entry fees and the boutique hotels in restored houses.

Playa del Carmen is priced for international visitors, and the beach clubs, eco-parks and diving add up quickly. You can keep costs down with an apartment back from the beach, inland taco stands and colectivos, but it never gets as cheap as Valladolid.

Neither town has a theatre or concert season, and what each offers is different in kind. Playa del Carmen has cover bands and mariachi in bars, fire dancers on the beach and the large evening history spectacle at Xcaret. Valladolid's performances are local and traditional: jarana dancers performing the vaquería on the square to a brass band, and light projections on the San Bernardino convent.

Playa del Carmen has more on offer for a rest. There are resort spas in Playacar, beachfront massages and yoga studios in the quieter north, and temazcal ceremonies along the coast. The music around Calle 12 means you need to choose where you stay with care.

Valladolid relaxes you through its pace rather than its facilities: shuttered afternoons, hammocks and small pools in courtyard hotels, the odd massage and a temazcal arranged nearby. It has no spa culture to plan a stay around.