Anaheim or Sonoma?

Anaheim is the only one of the two where the beach can be part of the trip. Huntington Beach's long surf strand, the harbour at Newport and the coves at Laguna are all within about half an hour by car, and in late summer the water is warm enough to swim without a wetsuit.

Sonoma's sea is the wild Bodega Bay coast, well over an hour away. It is cold and has dangerous currents, so people go there to look at it. In Sonoma, swimming in summer means a pool or the gravel beaches of the Russian River.

Sonoma is the stronger place to eat and drink, because the wine is the reason to come. Tasting rooms sit around the plaza, Carneros Pinot Noir and old-vine Zinfandel are a short drive away, and the kitchens cook with local cheese, olive oil and oysters. Its weakness is range, with few cuisines and almost nothing late at night.

Anaheim offers the opposite. The food around the parks is mostly forgettable, but Little Arabia on Brookhurst Street and the Vietnamese bakeries and pho houses of nearby Little Saigon give more variety than Sonoma's single style of cooking.

Neither is a cultural destination, but Sonoma has more history you can walk through. The plaza where the Bear Flag Revolt took place, the last of California's Franciscan missions, the adobe barracks and Vallejo's house all lie within a few minutes of each other.

Anaheim's heritage is mostly gone. Disneyland itself is its real piece of history, and the Bowers Museum and the Nixon Library both mean a drive.

Both are quiet after dark, but Anaheim has a little more going on. The bars on the promenade between the parks stay open after the fireworks, there are brewpubs and cocktail bars downtown, and game nights fill the bars near the stadiums.

Sonoma winds down after dinner, with a few wine bars and saloons on the plaza and no clubs at all. For a real night out from either town, you have to drive to a bigger city.

Anaheim's outdoors starts only once you have driven out of the flat suburbs. Chaparral trails climb into the Santa Ana Mountains, Crystal Cove has bluff-top walks and tide pools, and boats leave Newport and Dana Point to watch grey whales in winter and blue whales in summer. It is pleasant country, but rarely striking.

Sonoma has the better scenery, and you can walk straight into it. Trails climb to the Sonoma Overlook almost from the plaza, Sugarloaf Ridge and Jack London State Historic Park have redwood groves and views from Bald Mountain, and quiet roads through the vines are good for cycling. The wild headlands of the Sonoma Coast and Point Reyes are about an hour away.

Both towns make good bases for day trips, but the outings are very different. From Anaheim you get the whole range of Southern California: Hollywood and the Getty in Los Angeles, the Queen Mary at Long Beach, the ferry to Catalina, the mission at San Juan Capistrano and, if you are prepared for the drive, San Diego.

Sonoma's big outing is San Francisco, about an hour away. Beyond it, most days out mean another wine valley, such as Napa or Healdsburg, or a small town like Petaluma, which is pleasant but repetitive.

Anaheim is one of the great family destinations anywhere, and Sonoma is barely in the same contest. With two Disney parks next to each other, Knott's Berry Farm ten minutes away and family hotels within walking distance of the gates, a week can pass easily without a car.

Sonoma is safe and calm, but its days are built around tasting rooms. Apart from the miniature railway and the African wildlife park near Santa Rosa, children have little to do, which is why families usually visit for a day from San Francisco.

Both need a car, but Anaheim gives you a little more without one. The resort district is walkable and has shuttles, and trains from the stadium transit centre reach Los Angeles and San Diego.

In Sonoma, only the plaza is walkable. The wineries are spread through the valley and hills, so most visitors book a driver or a tour, which also settles the question of who drives after the tastings.

Anaheim offers more shopping, though all of it is in malls. There is plenty of Disney merchandise at the resort, and a large luxury mall full of fashion houses is in Costa Mesa, with outlet centres around the county.

Sonoma is the reverse. It has small independent boutiques, galleries and kitchen shops around the plaza, plus wine, olive oil and cheese to take home, but almost no fashion at all.

Neither is cheap, but Anaheim leaves more ways to save. Park tickets and hotels near the gates are the big costs, but motels a short drive away and the Vietnamese and Middle Eastern restaurants in the suburbs keep everyday spending reasonable.

Sonoma has few ways to cut costs. Rooms are limited and priced for wine-country weekends, tasting fees add up, and the usual way to save is to stay in Santa Rosa or Petaluma and bring a picnic.

Anaheim has more to offer, mainly because the Segerstrom Center in Costa Mesa runs all year. It has the Pacific Symphony, touring Broadway shows and ballet. The arena hosts big pop tours, and the Disney night shows are well staged.

Sonoma's performances are mostly in summer, such as outdoor musicals among the ruins at Jack London's park and concerts at wineries. Its year-round asset is the Green Music Center, about half an hour away, which is good for classical music.

Sonoma is by far the more restful place. The mineral water at Boyes Hot Springs has fed its resort pools for over a century, the inns have spas, and Calistoga's mud baths are over the hills. The slow pace of the town is just as relaxing.

In Anaheim, early starts and long queues in the parks are the opposite of a rest. Relaxing there means a hotel pool, a Korean-style day spa in the suburbs, or a drive to the clifftop resorts at Laguna.