Anaheim or Santa Monica?

Santa Monica has the beach on its doorstep: a broad stretch of pale sand with the pier in the middle and lifeguard towers along it, and the quieter Malibu coves of Zuma, El Matador and Point Dume a short drive north. Anaheim is inland, so a beach day means driving about half an hour to Huntington, Newport or the coves of Laguna Beach.

Those Orange County beaches are good, but they are an outing rather than part of daily life. The cool water is the same in both, so the real difference is whether the sand is a short walk away or a drive from the hotel.

Santa Monica eats better around where visitors actually stay, with seasonal Californian cooking shaped by the Wednesday farmers market, good seafood and polished brunch along Main Street and Montana Avenue. In Anaheim's resort district you are mostly left with park counters, hotel restaurants and chains.

Where Anaheim fights back is immigrant cooking. Little Arabia on Brookhurst Street and Little Saigon in nearby Westminster and Garden Grove offer exactly the cheap, deep food that Santa Monica lacks without a long drive east.

Neither is a sightseeing destination, but Santa Monica has more within easy reach. Beyond the pier and Bergamot Station's galleries, the Getty Center and the Getty Villa are both close by car and hold serious collections.

Anaheim's great landmark is Disneyland itself, a real piece of American cultural history. Otherwise there is little beyond the Mother Colony House and the old packing houses, and museums such as the Bowers or the Nixon Library mean driving to other towns.

Both are quiet after dark, but Santa Monica gives you more of a night. Rooftop bars near the Third Street Promenade, Main Street's pubs and the looser crowd in Venice make a sunset drink and a stroll easy. In Anaheim most evenings end with park fireworks and a few bars on the resort promenade or near the stadiums on game nights.

Neither has a real club scene. From Santa Monica, Hollywood is the long taxi ride for a big night, while Anaheim's nearest serious options are Long Beach or Los Angeles.

Santa Monica has the mountains right behind it, with trails in Topanga, Temescal Canyon and Will Rogers park climbing to views over the bay, and the beach path and surf breaks at sea level. You can be outside without getting in a car.

Anaheim is flat suburbia, and its outdoors is a drive away: chaparral trails in the Santa Ana Mountains, tide pools at Crystal Cove and whale-watching from Newport and Dana Point. It is pleasant, but it takes planning.

Anaheim's central position gives it the edge. Los Angeles is about an hour one way, San Diego about two hours the other, Mission San Juan Capistrano and Laguna Beach are close, and the Temecula wine country lies inland. Trains from the stadium transit centre even reach LA and San Diego without a car.

Santa Monica looks north instead, towards Malibu, Ojai and Santa Barbara with its mission and red-tiled centre, as well as Pasadena and Hollywood. Both use Catalina Island as a ferry outing.

Anaheim is built for children in a way few places are. Two Disney parks stand side by side, Knott's Berry Farm is ten minutes away, and hundreds of family hotels are within walking distance. The price is long queues at peak times.

Santa Monica is easy with children but on a smaller scale: a lifeguarded beach for digging, the pier's Ferris wheel and carousel, a small aquarium and flat bike rides. It suits a relaxed family break more than a park-centred one, and some families are put off by visible homelessness downtown.

Santa Monica is easier to manage without a car. The downtown, pier and Main Street are walkable, the blue buses cover the rest of town, and the E Line light rail runs to downtown Los Angeles.

Anaheim is fine if you only want the parks, since many hotels are a walk from the gates and shuttles link the rest. Beyond the resort, Orange County is freeways and wide boulevards with slow buses, so a car or ride-hailing becomes essential.

The two are fairly close, but they shop differently. Santa Monica has streets to browse: chains along the Third Street Promenade, boutiques on Montana Avenue, surf shops on Main Street and design stores on Abbot Kinney in Venice.

Anaheim shops by car, from Disney merchandise in the resort to the large luxury mall in Costa Mesa and outlets around the county, with few independents.

Both are expensive, but Santa Monica is more so. Its oceanside hotels, high restaurant bills and parking make even a simple stay costly, though the beach, trails and bike path cost nothing.

In Anaheim the money goes mainly on park tickets, resort hotels and park food. Step away from the gates and motels, supermarkets and suburban restaurants bring costs back to normal, although the car you need adds its own bill.

The two are on a similar level, but in different ways. Anaheim's evenings are largely theme-park productions, with the Segerstrom Center in Costa Mesa for the Pacific Symphony and touring Broadway, and an arena for big rock and pop tours.

Santa Monica offers smaller and more local fare: the Broad Stage, little playhouses, intimate folk rooms and free summer concerts on the pier. For the Hollywood Bowl or Disney Concert Hall, it has the shorter trip into Los Angeles.

Santa Monica is the more restful stay. Yoga on the sand, morning walks along the ocean, beachfront hotel spas and sunset over the bay give the days a slow rhythm.

Anaheim's park days, with early starts and crowds, work against relaxing. Unwinding there means a hotel pool between park days, a Korean-style day spa in the suburbs or a drive to the clifftop resorts at Laguna Beach and Dana Point.