Anaheim or Scottsdale?

Anaheim sits inland, but the Pacific is only about 20km away. The long surf beach and pier at Huntington, Newport's Balboa Peninsula and the small coves between Laguna's rocky headlands all make an easy half-day by car. The water is cool for much of the year, but this is a real sea coast, and a beach afternoon fits easily between park days.

Scottsdale is deep in the Sonoran Desert, far from any sea. Swimming there means the resort pool, the small sandy coves of Saguaro and Canyon Lakes, or a summer float down the Salt River on an inner tube. These are pleasant outings, but they can't replace the ocean.

Neither city is a great food destination, and both are at their weakest where visitors stay: theme-park counters and chains in Anaheim, steakhouses and patio grills in Scottsdale's Old Town. Anaheim edges ahead because of what lies close by, with the grills and bakeries of Little Arabia on Brookhurst Street and the pho and banh mi of Little Saigon.

Scottsdale's most local cooking is Sonoran-style Mexican, with plate-sized flour tortillas and green chile, and it does smart brunches and happy hours well. Most of its more characterful restaurants are over in Phoenix.

Scottsdale has more to see. Taliesin West, Frank Lloyd Wright's desert studio, is a sight of real weight. Old Town adds the Museum of the West, a small contemporary art museum and a gallery district, and the Heard Museum and the Musical Instrument Museum are a short drive away.

Anaheim's main landmark is Disneyland itself, which has a real place in American cultural history. Little survives of the German and citrus past beyond a few central blocks, and museums such as the Bowers in Santa Ana mean a drive.

Scottsdale has a proper going-out district: a few blocks of Old Town with patio bars, dance clubs and rooftop lounges that get loud and dressy at weekends and through the spring. In Anaheim most nights end with the park fireworks, a drink on the promenade or a visit to a brewpub in the centre. Anything livelier means driving to Long Beach or Los Angeles.

Both cities need a car for the outdoors, but Scottsdale's landscape starts at the edge of the city and is more striking. The McDowell Sonoran Preserve, the short climbs up Camelback and Pinnacle Peak, and the Superstition Mountains offer saguaro desert, granite boulders and wide views. In summer the heat pushes hiking to dawn.

Anaheim's countryside is gentler: chaparral trails in the Santa Ana Mountains, tide pools at Crystal Cove and whale-watching boats from Newport and Dana Point. Its advantage is the mild climate, which means cycling and paddling work in any month.

Anaheim is the better base for outings. Los Angeles, with the Getty and Griffith Observatory, is about an hour away, and Long Beach and the ferry to Catalina are closer. Mission San Juan Capistrano, the Temecula wineries and San Diego all fit into a day.

From Scottsdale the best trips are longer drives. Sedona's red rocks, Montezuma Castle and Jerome are about two hours north, and Tucson is a similar distance south. The Grand Canyon really needs an overnight stay.

Few places are built for children the way Anaheim is. Disneyland and Disney California Adventure are a short walk from family hotels, and Knott's Berry Farm is ten minutes away. A week can pass without using the car, and the weather rarely gets in the way.

Scottsdale suits families who want a resort with lazy rivers and kids' clubs. It also has the railroad park, the OdySea Aquarium and spring training games. From midday in summer, though, the heat keeps children indoors or in the water.

Both are car country, but Anaheim offers a car-free option that Scottsdale lacks. If the trip is only the parks, the walkable resort district and its shuttles cover it, and trains from the transit centre reach Los Angeles and San Diego.

Scottsdale's light rail stops short of the city. Apart from walking around Old Town and riding the free trolley, nearly everything needs a car. Driving is easier there, though, with a simple grid and light traffic compared with Orange County's freeways.

Scottsdale has the more interesting shopping. The galleries along Main Street and Marshall Way sit alongside dealers in Navajo and Hopi silver, Pueblo pottery and western boots, and there is a large luxury mall on Scottsdale Road.

In Anaheim itself, shopping mostly means Disney merchandise. The county's big luxury mall is about 20 minutes away in Costa Mesa, and there are outlets in Orange. Neither city has much independent fashion or market browsing.

Both are expensive, but the money goes on different things. In Anaheim the bill is driven by theme park tickets and the hotels within walking distance of the gates. Chain motels a short drive out and meals in the Vietnamese and Middle Eastern districts help keep it down.

Scottsdale's prices follow the seasons. Resort rooms, golf and spa treatments are steep in winter and spring, but rates drop sharply in the summer heat. Hiking in the desert preserve is free, and in both places a hire car adds to the total.

The two are evenly matched but strong in different ways. Anaheim's evening shows are mostly Disney's parades and water shows. For a formal night out, the Segerstrom Center in Costa Mesa has the Pacific Symphony, ballet and touring Broadway, and the city's arena books major tours.

Scottsdale's own arts centre programmes chamber music, jazz and comedy, and the theatre at the Musical Instrument Museum adds world music. For opera and ballet, visitors go to Phoenix, about half an hour away, in the same way that Anaheim visitors go to Los Angeles.

People travel to Scottsdale specifically to rest. Its many large resort spas have desert-inspired treatments, steam rooms and outdoor pools, and many are open to day guests. Together with yoga and retreats, they set the pace of a stay.

Anaheim has resort hotel pools and a few Korean-style day spas with saunas and scrubs in the suburbs, and the park days themselves are tiring. For real calm, people drive to the clifftop resorts at Laguna Beach or Dana Point.