Sayulita or Tamarindo?

These are two of the easiest places on the Pacific to learn to surf, and both come down to a gently breaking bay in front of town. In Sayulita that bay is compact and busy. Swimmers walk to the sheltered cove of Playa de los Muertos or along the jungle path to Carricitos, and they avoid the river mouth after rain. The winter sea is a few degrees cooler.

Tamarindo has more variety within reach. Langosta is calm, Playa Grande is long and wild, Avellanas suits stronger surfers and Conchal has clear water over crushed shell. The open beaches carry rip currents, though, and crocodiles live in the estuary.

Neither town is a food destination, and both lean on fish tacos, ceviche, pizza and bowls for the surf crowd. The local layer is what differs. Sayulita's is Mexican street food: aguachile, al pastor from the plaza stands and whole grilled fish on the sand, with Puerto Vallarta close by for ambitious meals.

Tamarindo's is the Costa Rican soda and its plain casado. Its many foreign residents have added Argentine grills and a few more ambitious dinner places. Good coffee from the Costa Rican highlands is also easy to find.

Sightseers will be disappointed in both. Sayulita at least has a plaza, a modest church, the hillside cemetery and galleries of Wixárika beadwork. Tamarindo is a resort strip with nothing of that kind, and its heritage lies inland in the old towns of the Nicoya Peninsula.

Tamarindo is the place for a night out. It is the party town of the Guanacaste coast, and evenings move from sunset drinks to open-air bars and then to dance clubs playing reggaeton and electronic music. Venues take turns hosting the big night, so something is on most evenings.

Sayulita goes out more than a village usually does, but it is a few blocks of mezcal and cocktail bars around the plaza, with only a handful open past midnight. In the summer rains many nights end early, and anyone wanting a club has to drive to Puerto Vallarta.

Both are built around surf, snorkelling and sportfishing, and the landscapes behind them differ. Sayulita backs onto green jungle hills crossed by headland paths and mountain-bike trails. Its big seasonal event is the humpback whales calving in the Bay of Banderas, and boats also run out to the Marietas Islands reserve.

Tamarindo sits in tropical dry forest that turns brown in the dry months. It has more wildlife close at hand: crocodiles and howler monkeys in the estuary mangroves, leatherback turtles nesting on Playa Grande, and diving at the Catalinas Islands. Rincon de la Vieja's volcanic trails are a longer outing.

Sayulita has the better range of outings. Puerto Vallarta, about an hour away, offers a seafront malecón, a cobbled old town and the crowned church of Guadalupe. San Blas has colonial ruins and mangrove river trips, and San Pancho and Chacala make easy village outings.

From Tamarindo the best cultural outing is the potters of Guaitil, followed by Nicoya's colonial church and folkloric Santa Cruz. After those, the choice is mostly other beach towns along rough roads.

Tamarindo works better with children. Mangrove trips to see monkeys and crocodiles, night turtle watching, zip-lines and horse riding give the days variety, and Langosta offers calmer water and quieter nights. Parents do need to watch for rip currents and stay away from the estuary.

Sayulita has gentle surf lessons and the sheltered cove at Muertos. Beyond the water there is little organised for children, and the cobbles, golf carts and summer humidity make it best for older children who love the sea.

Sayulita is easier to manage without a car. You can cross the village on foot in ten minutes, and a regional bus runs to Puerto Vallarta and its airport, so day outings are possible by public transport. Paths are rough, though, with almost no pavements.

In Tamarindo, walking the sand is often the quickest way through town. Beyond it, buses miss most beaches, so you depend on shuttles, taxis or a rental car, and a four-wheel drive is helpful on the southern dirt roads in the rains.

Sayulita is the better place for an afternoon of browsing. There are boutiques of loose linen and embroidered dresses, handmade jewellery, Mexican textiles and pottery near the plaza, and above all Huichol yarn paintings and beadwork. Tamarindo offers mainly surf gear, swimwear and souvenir stands, and its Guaitil pottery is better bought in the village where it is made.

Both are priced for North American visitors, but Sayulita is the gentler on the wallet. Taco stands, fondas, fruit carts and the regional bus keep the everyday costs low, and the summer low season brings room rates down noticeably.

Tamarindo sits in Central America's costliest country and is one of its busiest resorts. Because so little is within walking distance, shuttles and car hire add to the bill. The sodas, hostels and surf camps are the way to keep costs down.

Neither has a theatre or a concert programme. Music in both means bands and acoustic sets in bars. Sayulita adds buskers and the odd mariachi near the plaza, and Puerto Vallarta's stages are within reach. Tamarindo adds fire dancers on the beach, while Guanacaste folk music and dance belong to the festivals in Santa Cruz.

Sayulita has the deeper wellness culture. Open-air shalas run daily classes, villas host week-long retreats, and temazcal, massage and sound healing are easy to find. The busy centre is noisy in high season, so those seeking calm stay on the hillsides or towards San Pancho.

Tamarindo offers surf-and-yoga retreats and treatments from beach tables to resort spas. Its calm depends on staying at Langosta or Playa Grande, and the volcanic hot springs are about two hours away.