Anaheim or Sedona?

Anaheim has no beach of its own, but Huntington Beach, Newport and the coves of Laguna Beach are about half an hour away by car, and in late summer the sea is warm enough to swim without a wetsuit. It makes a good half-day break from the parks.

Sedona is high desert, far from any coast. The swimming there is in Oak Creek: the sandstone chute at Slide Rock and the cold pools at Grasshopper Point. These are fun after a hike, but they are small, cold and crowded on hot weekends.

Anaheim has the wider range, but you have to leave the resort district to find it. Little Arabia's Lebanese and Yemeni bakeries on Brookhurst Street, Vietnamese pho and banh mi in nearby Little Saigon, and taquerias around the county all beat the park counters and chains.

Sedona eats well in a narrower way: Southwestern dishes and health-minded menus on terraces facing the red rock, plus tasting rooms in the Verde Valley. Once you have tried the few good kitchens there is not much more to explore, and there is no street food at all.

Neither town is a culture destination, but what each offers is different. Anaheim's real landmark is Disneyland itself, the first Disney park, and the Bowers Museum, the Nixon Library and Christ Cathedral are all a drive away.

Sedona's sights are tied to its landscape: the Chapel of the Holy Cross built into a butte, galleries of Western and Native American art, and the Sinagua cliff dwellings at Palatki and Honanki in the backcountry.

Anaheim has a little more life after dark. The bars on the resort promenade stay open after the fireworks, there are brewpubs in the centre, bars fill up on game nights and Fullerton has a student bar scene. For a proper night out, though, you drive to Long Beach or LA.

Sedona goes to bed early because its visitors are on the trail at dawn. A glass of wine in an Uptown lounge and the stars over the canyon are about all the evening has to offer.

This is where Sedona is in another league. Red sandstone spires and mesas rise right at the edge of town, and trails to Cathedral Rock, Bell Rock and West Fork reach them, along with famous slickrock bike trails and jeep roads. Pine-forested Oak Creek Canyon and the Grand Canyon lie to the north.

Anaheim's outdoors means driving out of the suburbs to the Santa Ana Mountains, to the tide pools at Crystal Cove, or onto whale-watching boats from Newport and Dana Point. It is enjoyable and possible in any season, but it is never dramatic.

Anaheim's central position in Southern California gives it the stronger list of day trips. Los Angeles and its museums, the Queen Mary in Long Beach, Catalina Island, Mission San Juan Capistrano and even San Diego are all within reach, if you can put up with the traffic.

Sedona's outings are smaller and quieter: the mining town of Jerome, the Verde Canyon Railroad, Montezuma Castle and Tuzigoot, and Flagstaff to the north. They are worth doing, but a few days covers them.

Anaheim is one of the great family destinations, and here Sedona can't compete. Two Disney parks and Knott's Berry Farm are minutes from family hotels, with the Discovery Cube and calm beaches to fill any spare days. Expect long queues at busy times.

Sedona suits outdoorsy families for a short stay, with Slide Rock, easy paths near Bell Rock and jeep tours. Otherwise it has no attractions made for children, its hotels are aimed at couples, and the summer heat and exposed trails call for caution.

Both are car country, but Anaheim gives you more ways out. Its resort district is walkable and linked by shuttles, and trains from the station near the stadium run to Los Angeles and San Diego.

In Sedona, only Uptown can be walked. Trailheads, the chapel and the Verde Valley all need a car, the trail shuttle covers only a few routes, and the parking at popular trails fills early. Most visitors also have a two-hour drive from Phoenix airport.

Anaheim shopping is done in malls, but they are big ones. Disney merchandise fills the resort, a major luxury mall in Costa Mesa has most of the big fashion houses, and outlets cover the middle range.

Sedona is all galleries and crafts: the courtyards of Tlaquepaque, Native American jewellery, pottery and rugs, and crystal shops. It is more distinctive than anything around Anaheim, but there is no fashion shopping to speak of.

Neither is cheap. Anaheim is the easier to manage, though: once you have paid for park tickets and park food, motels a short drive away and the suburban Vietnamese and Middle Eastern restaurants bring costs down to normal regional levels. A hire car still adds to the bill.

Sedona's resorts, boutique lodges and resort-priced restaurants leave fewer ways to save. Jeep tours, balloon flights and spa treatments add more on top. The cheaper option is to stay in Cottonwood or Flagstaff and picnic on the trail.

Anaheim has much more on offer. Beyond the polished Disney parades and water shows, the Segerstrom Center in Costa Mesa has the Pacific Symphony, touring Broadway shows and ballet, and the arena books major rock and pop tours.

Sedona has no concert hall or theatre season, just chamber concerts, local theatre, the film festival in late winter and acoustic sets in resort bars.

Sedona is built for this. It has destination resort spas facing the canyons, yoga, meditation and breathwork, massage and alternative therapies, and quiet sunrise walks to the vortexes. The slow pace and the clear, dark nights help, although there are no hot springs and treatments cost resort prices.

In Anaheim, the main rest is a hotel pool day between park days, or a scrub at a Korean-style spa in the suburbs. Real calm means driving to the clifftop resorts at Laguna Beach or Dana Point.