St. Pete Beach or Virginia Beach?

St. Pete Beach has the better beach in the ways that matter most to swimmers. It has soft quartz sand and warm, shallow Gulf water with little surf. You can choose between the low-key Pass-a-Grille end, quieter Upham Beach and the undeveloped sands of Fort De Soto and Shell Key, and the sunsets are over the water.

Virginia Beach offers a broad Atlantic strip with lifeguards, a boardwalk and proper surf near the fishing pier, which the Gulf rarely provides. The bay beaches near First Landing suit toddlers and Sandbridge has dunes, but the ocean is colder and comfortable for only a few summer months.

Both towns eat best on seafood and both thin out quickly beyond it, so the difference is in what reaches the plate. At St. Pete Beach that means grouper sandwiches, smoked fish spread and stone crab claws, eaten on a deck at sunset, with Pass-a-Grille and Corey Avenue for a calmer sit-down meal.

At Virginia Beach it means Lynnhaven oysters and Chesapeake blue crab, from crab cakes to she-crab soup, best found at dockside places around Lynnhaven Inlet rather than on the chain-heavy Oceanfront. For more ambitious cooking, St. Pete Beach sends you to St. Petersburg and Virginia Beach sends you to Norfolk.

Virginia Beach has more history on its own ground, though neither town will fill many days of sightseeing. St. Pete Beach's landmark is the pink 1920s Don CeSar hotel. Beyond it there are the old cottages and small history museum of Pass-a-Grille and the Spanish-American War batteries at Fort De Soto, while the serious museums, the Dalí among them, are across the bay in St. Petersburg.

Virginia Beach has Cape Henry, where English colonists first came ashore in 1607, with the old lighthouse beside it dating from the nation's earliest years. Add the Adam Thoroughgood House, a rare surviving colonial brick home, a small contemporary art museum near the Oceanfront and the giant King Neptune on the boardwalk.

Virginia Beach gives you more of a night out. In summer, Atlantic Avenue and the boardwalk fill with rooftop decks, sports bars and beach bars. The mood is loud and casual, with a mix of vacationers, locals and sailors, and Town Center adds cocktail lounges for a calmer drink.

At St. Pete Beach the evening centres on the sunset, with tiki decks and cover bands along Gulf Boulevard and at Pass-a-Grille, and most people turn in soon after dark. Neither town has a club scene, and both rely on a nearby city, St. Petersburg or Norfolk, for a later night.

Both are flat coastal country with plenty to do on the water, but the character differs. At St. Pete Beach you paddle the mangrove channels at Fort De Soto and Shell Key, see manatees in the cooler months and look for roseate spoonbills.

Virginia Beach has more to do on foot. First Landing has trails through maritime forest and cypress swamp, and the long, empty spit of Back Bay and False Cape suits walkers and cyclists, with waterfowl in winter. It also has a real surfing culture, which the calm Gulf cannot match.

Virginia Beach has the stronger single outing. Colonial Williamsburg, Jamestown and Yorktown, about an hour away, make an outstanding history day, and Norfolk's battleship, Kitty Hawk and Richmond add variety.

St. Pete Beach offers a wider spread of smaller trips: the Dalí Museum in St. Petersburg, Ybor City in Tampa, Greek-rooted Tarpon Springs, Sarasota's Ringling estate and, at a stretch, Orlando's theme parks. Both need a car for almost all of it.

Both work well with children, so the choice comes down to what fills the days. St. Pete Beach relies on its shallow, calm water and soft sand, with dolphin boats and shelling nearby, and the aquariums and Busch Gardens are about an hour away.

Virginia Beach has more on its doorstep: the Virginia Aquarium with its sea turtles and otters, a water park, mini-golf and the boardwalk. A themed amusement park and Colonial Williamsburg are within an hour. Its ocean surf is livelier, so families with toddlers tend to use the bay beaches.

Both are car country, with only a short stretch you can manage without one. St. Pete Beach is a single narrow strip with a beach trolley and walkable pockets at Pass-a-Grille and Corey Avenue, and Tampa's airport is about three quarters of an hour away.

At Virginia Beach the walkable part is the boardwalk and the Oceanfront, with a summer trolley. Beyond it lies suburban sprawl where Sandbridge, First Landing and Town Center all need a drive, and summer traffic can be heavy.

For a mall or a run of chain stores, Virginia Beach is better stocked, though St. Pete Beach's few good shops have more character. Along Gulf Boulevard it is mostly swimwear and souvenirs. Corey Avenue has a handful of independent boutiques and galleries and Pass-a-Grille has small art and craft shops, but for a mall you drive to St. Petersburg or Tampa.

Virginia Beach has a large regional mall, the outdoor streets of Town Center lined with national chains, and surf shops with deep local roots. Boutiques, local crafts and luxury are scarce there too.

Virginia Beach is the cheaper of the two, mainly because its hotel rates fall sharply once summer ends, and the beach, boardwalk and state parks cost little.

St. Pete Beach keeps its prices higher, and they peak from February to April, when northern visitors arrive for the warm weather. The cheaper options are older motels a block back from the sand and the steamy late summer. In both towns you pay for tipping and a hire car on top.

Virginia Beach has far more live performance within reach. Its outdoor amphitheatre draws touring rock and country acts all summer, Town Center has a mid-sized arts centre and the boardwalk stages put on free concerts. Norfolk, half an hour away, adds the Virginia Opera, the Virginia Symphony and the spring Virginia Arts Festival.

St. Pete Beach offers cover bands and acoustic sets at beach bars. For theatre and the Florida Orchestra you drive across to St. Petersburg.

Neither town has a bathing tradition, and both rely on resort spas. St. Pete Beach is the easier place to unwind because its pace is slower: mornings on the sand, long afternoons and a sunset that people stop to watch. Pass-a-Grille is especially calm outside the spring-break weeks.

Virginia Beach can be peaceful on an early boardwalk walk or in spring and autumn. In high summer, though, the resort is crowded and loud, and its spas are fewer and more spread out.