Singapore or Ubud?

Neither place is a beach destination, though the water is warm at both. Singapore's swimming is on Sentosa's man-made sand strips behind breakwaters, calm but murky and facing anchored tankers, with the Southern Islands lagoons as a quieter ferry outing.

From Ubud the sea means a car ride: black-sand beaches with heavy surf about forty minutes away, or Sanur's reef-sheltered water in about an hour. Singapore keeps a beach within reach of town, while Ubud's coast is better as a separate day or a few nights at the end of the trip.

Singapore is one of Asia's great eating cities, and Ubud cannot compete with it. The hawker centres at Maxwell, Tekka and Old Airport Road serve chicken rice, laksa, chilli crab and murtabak from Chinese, Malay, Indian and Peranakan kitchens, backed by a serious fine-dining tier.

Ubud eats well for a small town, but its range is narrower. Babi guling, crisp duck over the rice fields and nasi campur in family warungs are the local highlights, and the rest leans towards plant-based cafés and smoothie bowls for the yoga crowd.

The two are broadly level, but they offer different kinds of sightseeing. Singapore gives you institutions and skyline: the National Gallery's Southeast Asian collection, the Asian Civilisations and Peranakan museums, the ethnic quarters' temples and mosque, and the Supertrees at Marina Bay.

Ubud's culture is living and small in scale. It is the royal palace at the crossroads, carved family gateways, fresh offerings on the pavement each morning, and the Puri Lukisan, Neka and ARMA collections of Balinese painting. Singapore suits a brisk two-day circuit, while Ubud rewards slow wandering over several days.

Singapore has a real night out on offer, if a costly and orderly one. You can choose between rooftop terraces over Marina Bay, cocktail bars in the shophouses of Keong Saik and Telok Ayer, and the clubs along Clarke Quay.

Ubud has almost none of that. An evening there is dinner, a dance show and perhaps a drink on a terrace, with a few cover-band bars, and the town is quiet by eleven. Anyone wanting to dance has to head down to the coast.

Ubud is the place for the outdoors. Rice terraces at Tegallalang and Jatiluwih, the Campuhan Ridge walk from town, rafting on the Ayung, waterfalls and the pre-dawn climb of Mount Batur give you days of variety on volcanic ground.

Singapore's green spaces are surprising for a city-state. Rainforest at Bukit Timah and MacRitchie, the Southern Ridges walkways, Sungei Buloh's wetlands and a bike ride round Pulau Ubin make good mornings out, but the island is flat and small, and they are soon used up.

Ubud sits in the middle of Bali's temple country, so it is much the better base for excursions. Tirta Empul, Gunung Kawi, Besakih on Mount Agung, Tenganan and Ulun Danu Bratan are all reachable by hired driver, with the silver and woodcarving villages next door. Traffic is the only real drag.

Singapore is boxed in by its borders. Johor Bahru means slow causeway queues, Bintan and Batam are resort islands rather than places to explore, and Malacca really needs a night.

Singapore is far easier with children. The Mandai parks, with the zoo, Night Safari, bird park and pandas, plus Universal Studios on Sentosa and the water play at Gardens by the Bay, fill several days, and everything has lifts, shade and air conditioning.

Ubud has warm-hearted locals, villa pools, a safari park and gentle rafting. But broken pavements, scooter traffic, biting macaques and the need for a driver everywhere make it hard work with small children.

This is the starkest contrast between the two. In Singapore the step-free MRT runs from the airport to Chinatown, Orchard Road and the rainforest edge, contactless cards work at the gates, and taxis are cheap. Only the heat limits walking.

Ubud has no useful public transport. Its pavements are narrow or missing, and beyond the walk between the palace, the market and the Monkey Forest you need a day driver, ride-hailing or a villa shuttle. Scooter hire is risky for anyone without real experience.

Singapore is the stronger shopping city, at least for brands. Orchard Road's malls and the Marina Bay Sands arcade carry every international label, and Haji Lane and Tiong Bahru add independent boutiques and bookshops.

Ubud is about craft rather than labels. You bargain at the art market opposite the palace, buy silver in Celuk and carvings in Mas, and browse linen and yoga wear along Jalan Hanoman. It has more character than Singapore's look-alike malls, but you will find no luxury labels there.

Ubud costs much less day to day. Guesthouses with breakfast, warung meals, massages and a day driver are all cheap, and only pool villas and imported wine push the bill up.

Singapore's rooms are among Asia's priciest, drinks are heavily taxed and the wildlife parks charge steep entry. Hawker meals and the cheap MRT soften the blow, but the hotel still dominates the budget.

An evening out in Singapore means a seat in a concert hall, while in Ubud it means a courtyard lit by torches, and both give you something good on most nights. Singapore has the Esplanade's halls and free bayside shows, the Singapore Symphony Orchestra's season, the Victoria Theatre and touring musicals at Marina Bay Sands.

Ubud has one art form, performed every night. Legong, Barong and the firelit Kecak, with full gamelan, play in the palace courtyard and temple forecourts, and the same dances still belong to temple ceremonies. Go to Singapore for an orchestra or a musical, and to Ubud for a ritual tradition that is still alive.

Ubud is built around rest, and this is its strongest card. Yoga and retreat centres, breathwork, riverside spa pavilions with boreh scrubs and flower baths, and purification bathing at Tirta Empul draw people for whole weeks.

Singapore offers polished hotel spas with skyline pools, reflexology in Chinatown and Ayurveda in Little India. The city's pace is brisk, though, and an early walk in the Botanic Gardens is about as restful as it gets.