Anaheim or Sun Valley?

Anaheim is inland, but it has real beaches within reach. Huntington's wide surf beach and pier, the harbour and Balboa Peninsula at Newport, and the coves of Laguna Beach are all about half an hour away by car. In late summer the water is warm enough for a proper swim, which makes the coast a good half-day break between park days.

Sun Valley is hundreds of kilometres from any sea. The closest thing to a beach is the sandy shore of Redfish Lake under the Sawtooths, an hour north, where the water stays cold even in August. The resort's heated outdoor pools are the more dependable swim.

Anaheim eats better once you leave the resort district and its park counters and chains. Little Arabia on Brookhurst Street has Lebanese, Palestinian and Yemeni grills and bakeries, Little Saigon next door is known for pho and banh mi, and taquerias serve good Mexican food across the county. The food hall in the old packing district adds a local option in the centre.

Ketchum has more restaurants than a town its size would suggest, from après-ski grills to a few ambitious kitchens cooking Idaho trout, lamb and elk. Still, there is no immigrant food scene to explore, little that is cheap, and some places cut back in spring and autumn.

Neither is a sightseeing destination, but Anaheim has a little more to offer. Disneyland is a genuine piece of American cultural history, and a short drive brings the Bowers Museum's world and Native American art, the Nixon Presidential Library and the glass Christ Cathedral.

Sun Valley's story is shorter. It was built in 1936 as America's first destination ski resort, and the photo-lined corridors of the Lodge recall those years. Hemingway's grave in Ketchum and his memorial by Trail Creek, plus a small history museum and some galleries, take up an afternoon.

Neither is a place for a big night out, but Anaheim has the livelier evenings. After the fireworks there are bars by the park gates, brewpubs and cocktail bars in the centre and stadium crowds on game nights, so you can find a drink at most hours. When you want clubs, Long Beach and Los Angeles are close enough to drive to.

Sun Valley's evenings are shorter and depend more on the season. On a winter weekend, the après-ski crowd can keep Ketchum's saloons loud for a few hours, and that has more local character than a resort promenade. There are no clubs, though, and no bigger town close enough for a night out. Outside the ski season and midsummer, expect dinner and an early night.

Sun Valley is built around its landscape. Bald Mountain rises straight out of town, with long, steep runs, Nordic trails and backcountry touring for winter. In summer the same hills have dense singletrack and hiking, there is fly fishing on the Big Wood and Silver Creek, and the Sawtooths, about an hour north, add alpine lakes, climbing and rafting on the Salmon River.

Anaheim's outdoors is gentler and further away. It has chaparral trails in the Santa Ana Mountains, tide pools and bluff walks at Crystal Cove, and whale-watching boats from Newport and Dana Point. All of it is pleasant, and it works in any season, but none of it is dramatic.

Anaheim sits in the middle of Southern California, so there is a lot within reach. Los Angeles, with Hollywood, the Getty and Griffith Observatory, is about an hour away, and you can see the Queen Mary in Long Beach, take the ferry to Catalina, visit Mission San Juan Capistrano or spend a day in the Temecula wine country. San Diego is about two hours down the coast.

From Sun Valley, most outings head into the mountains rather than to towns. Hailey's main street, the log-cabin outpost of Stanley and Shoshone Falls, about two hours south, are about all there is, and Boise is too far for a comfortable day.

Anaheim is one of the world's best family destinations. Disneyland and Disney California Adventure are a walk from hundreds of family hotels, Knott's Berry Farm is ten minutes away, and the Discovery Cube, the Aquarium of the Pacific and calm beaches fill any spare days. The rain-free months mean few days are lost, though the queues at busy times are long.

Sun Valley suits families who already ski or hike. It has a separate beginners' hill, a good ski school, horse rides and an outdoor ice rink. But there is nothing built just for children, the cold and altitude can be hard on toddlers, and teenagers who don't ski may get bored.

Both have a small, easy core and need a car beyond it, but Sun Valley's core covers more of what visitors come for. Ketchum is flat and walkable, a free bus links the town, the village and the lift bases, and a paved bike path runs down the valley, so a ski week can be done without driving. Only the trailheads, hot springs and Sawtooths need a car.

In Anaheim, the walkable hotels and resort shuttles only serve the parks. Beyond them, Orange County is built for freeways and the buses are slow. Metrolink and Amtrak trains to Los Angeles and San Diego help for those two cities, but for everything else you need a hire car or ride-hailing.

Anaheim has much more choice, though nearly all of it is in malls. Disney merchandise fills the promenade and park shops, the luxury mall in Costa Mesa has most of the major fashion houses, and outlet and open-air centres cover the mid-range. Expect to drive from one car park to the next.

Sun Valley's shopping fits into a few blocks of Ketchum. There are western and fine art galleries with evening gallery walks, serious ski and fly-fishing shops, and expensive boutiques selling cashmere and western wear. It has more character than an Orange County mall, but the range is narrow.

In Anaheim, most of the cost comes from the parks themselves: multi-day tickets, hotels within walking distance of the gates and food inside the parks. Away from the parks, spending comes down. Chain motels a short drive away cost much less, and suburban restaurants, the Vietnamese and Middle Eastern districts and the supermarkets charge ordinary Southern California prices. Car hire, fuel and parking still add up.

Sun Valley offers far fewer ways to cut the bill. The wealthy second-home community sets what rooms, meals and lift access cost, and budget lodging is scarce. Staying further down the valley, coming in spring or autumn and riding the free buses all help, but the savings stay modest.

Anaheim has performances all year. The Segerstrom Center in Costa Mesa, about 20 minutes away, hosts the Pacific Symphony, touring Broadway shows and ballet, and the city's arena books major pop and rock tours. Disney's evening shows and parades are slick if theme-park in style.

Sun Valley's performances are concentrated in summer, and that season is worth knowing about. A professional orchestra plays free symphony and chamber concerts in the pavilion by the Lodge while people picnic on the lawn, and star skaters perform on the outdoor rink. For the rest of the year there is almost nothing.

Sun Valley is the more restful place. The pace slows once the lifts close, the resort spas have steaming outdoor pools that are best enjoyed in falling snow, and rough natural hot springs pool beside the creek up the Warm Springs valley. Quiet mornings and mountain air do most of the rest.

An Anaheim stay built around early starts and crowded parks is rarely relaxing. Hotel pools, resort spas and a few Korean-style day spas in the suburbs offer some rest, and for a real retreat people drive to the clifftop resorts at Laguna Beach and Dana Point.