Punta Cana or Tulum?

Both are true beach destinations, but Punta Cana has the edge in sheer scale and ease. Around 50km of reef-sheltered sand runs from Juanillo to Uvero Alto, and most hotels open straight onto it, so you can walk for miles from one stretch to the next. You can choose the sociable resort sand of Bávaro or the wilder, surf-washed shore at Macao.

Tulum's coast is more scenic in places, with the ruins standing above turquoise water and a quieter southern strip heading towards Sian Ka'an. The town is inland, though, so most days start with a bicycle or taxi ride. Sargassum can affect both coasts in summer.

Tulum gives you more reasons to eat out. In town there are taco stands for cochinita pibil and al pastor, small fondas and evening street stalls, and Yucatecan dishes such as sopa de lima are worth seeking out. Out on the beach road, restaurants cook over open fire, although there the setting often outshines the food.

In Punta Cana most meals are resort buffets and themed dining rooms. To eat Dominican food you have to seek out the workers' comedores for la bandera, sancocho and mangú.

Neither is a culture destination, but Tulum has one sight that justifies a morning: the walled Maya port on the cliff, with El Castillo above the sea, best seen early. It also works as a base for the larger inland sites. Punta Cana is a resort coast built from the 1970s onwards, with no old town or museums, so anyone curious about the island's past has to leave the coast.

Tulum has the bigger name after dark, and its music is electronic. Expect DJ sets in jungle clearings, beach clubs that run from late afternoon into the night, and full-moon parties for a dressed-up crowd, with mezcal bars on the main avenue for quieter evenings.

Punta Cana's evenings mostly happen inside the resorts. In Bávaro, though, you can find glossy party-show clubs, a club inside a limestone cave and colmados playing bachata until late. Both scenes are spread out, so you will need taxis in either place.

Tulum is far richer for the outdoors because of what lies underground. Its cenotes, such as Gran Cenote and Dos Ojos, offer some of the clearest cavern snorkelling and cave diving anywhere. The Sian Ka'an reserve adds mangroves, lagoons and floats along Maya-built channels.

Punta Cana's outdoors is mostly at sea: reef snorkelling, kitesurfing at Cabeza de Toro, deep-sea fishing and boats to Saona's starfish pool, with Hoyo Azul and the Indigenous Eyes lagoons on land. Neither place has hills to hike.

Tulum is much better placed for days out. Coba's forest pyramid is under an hour away, Chichen Itza with Valladolid makes a full day, and Playa del Carmen and the ferry to Cozumel are close up the coast.

From Punta Cana the nearer options are modest: the basilica town of Higüey, the stone village of Altos de Chavón and Bayahibe for Saona boats. Santo Domingo's Zona Colonial is the outing that really rewards the effort, but it means a long day with several hours on the road each way.

Punta Cana makes a family week simpler. Many resorts are designed around children, with kids' clubs, waterslides and family suites, and the calm water at Bávaro and Juanillo is easy for small swimmers.

Tulum has the more memorable outings for children, including turtles in the shallows at Akumal, clear cenote pools and the eco-parks at Xel-Ha and Xcaret. The town itself leans towards couples, retreats and parties, though, so families usually need a pool and a hire car.

Neither is easy without wheels, but Tulum is a little more manageable. Its town centre can be walked, and the flat roads make cycling to the ruins and the beach the normal way to get about. Colectivo vans also run along the highway to the cenotes.

Punta Cana has no centre at all. Gated resorts are strung along the coast and the roads have few pavements, so outside the beach itself you depend on hotel taxis, transfers or guaguas.

Both offer small-scale shopping, though of different kinds. Punta Cana is the place for island specialities, such as larimar, amber, hand-rolled cigars and rum, bought by haggling at beach stalls, with a couple of open-air malls for resort wear. Tulum's style is boho linen, woven bags and macramé in airy beach-road boutiques, while embroidered huipiles and hammocks in town cost less.

Punta Cana is the easier place to keep costs down. Its all-inclusive packages, especially when booked with flights, cover most of a week, and the extras that add up are taxis, boat trips and beachfront meals.

Tulum is expensive from the moment you arrive. Beach-road hotels, beach clubs, party tickets and separate cenote entry fees all add up. Staying in town, eating at taco stands and cycling to the sea is the way to save.

Neither has a theatre, concert hall or classical season, so the difference is in the music you will hear. In Punta Cana that means live merengue and bachata bands at beach bars, which are genuinely Dominican, alongside resort shows. In Tulum it means acoustic sets on the main avenue and saxophone and drums over DJ sets, with staged Maya dance found mainly at the eco-parks up the coast.

Wellness is part of the reason people go to Tulum. Yoga shalas, retreat hotels and open-air spas line the beach road and jungle, with sound baths, breathwork and the Maya temazcal sweat lodge. Party nights can break the calm, though, so it pays to stay away from the clubs.

Punta Cana offers wellness as a hotel extra. Polished resort spas use cacao and coconut, and the main appeal is simply having nothing to do. An adults-only resort is the way to get real quiet there.