Big Bear Lake or Las Vegas?

Neither place has a beach, but Big Bear Lake at least has natural swimming on the doorstep. On a warm summer afternoon you can wade in from a sandy patch or a granite outcrop, or take children to the supervised spot at Meadow Park, though the water stays cool.

Swimming in Las Vegas means the hotel pool: wave pools and lazy rivers on the Strip, good for escaping the heat. The nearest open water is Lake Mead, a drive away, warmer than Big Bear's lake but set in a shadeless desert basin.

Eating is one of the reasons to go to Las Vegas. The Strip has steakhouses, French dining rooms, tasting menus and the famous buffets, and the long Chinatown strip on Spring Mountain Road offers Asian cooking from many regions late into the night.

Big Bear Lake feeds you well after a day outdoors, but that is about it: big diner breakfasts, burgers, barbecue and a brewpub pint. Many visitors simply cook in their cabins.

Neither is a place for sightseeing, but Las Vegas has a little more. The Neon Museum and the Mob Museum tell the city's short story well, and the themed resorts and the Fremont Street light show are an evening's spectacle. Big Bear has the Discovery Center, a small history museum and a dirt-road drive past old gold-rush cabins in Holcomb Valley.

This is where the two differ most. Las Vegas goes out around the clock, with big-name DJs in the resort clubs, dayclub pool parties and casino bars that never close, plus cheaper dive bars and craft beer around Fremont Street.

In Big Bear, a night out means an après-ski drink in the Village or a sports bar after dinner, then back to the hot tub. Nothing runs late.

Big Bear Lake lives in its landscape. The lake, the pine forest, two ski areas, mountain-bike trails on the summer slopes and hikes such as Castle Rock all start from town, and the San Gorgonio Wilderness is close by.

Las Vegas has grander scenery but further out and on a harsher calendar. The sandstone of Red Rock Canyon and the flame-coloured rock of Valley of Fire are superb for hiking and climbing, but summer heat makes them dangerous except at dawn, and every outing starts with a drive.

Both are hard places to leave for the day, for opposite reasons. From Big Bear Lake the outings are small and gentle, but slow, because every one starts with a long descent on winding mountain roads. You might visit the smaller lake resort at Lake Arrowhead, the apple orchards of Oak Glen in autumn or the old citrus-era streets of Riverside. These are relaxed days out rather than major sights, and the bigger names, such as Palm Springs or Los Angeles, are too far to make a sensible day.

Las Vegas has the opposite problem: one easy half day, then a big jump in scale. The half day is Hoover Dam together with Boulder City. After that come the Grand Canyon, Zion or Death Valley, very long days spent mostly in a car or coach, for the landscape rather than for any town along the way. Big Bear suits a slow drive to a lakeside village or an orchard. Las Vegas suits travellers who think one great view is worth a very early start.

Big Bear Lake is made for families. Lowland children come for the snow, and summer brings an alpine slide, mini-golf, go-karts and fishing from the shore. A roomy cabin makes the whole stay easier, with the altitude and weekend traffic the main drawbacks.

Las Vegas can manage a day or two, with the indoor amusement park, the shark aquarium and the children's museum downtown. But casino floors, adult advertising and summer heat make it hard going with young children.

In Big Bear Lake a car is essential. The only way up is by steep mountain highways, which sometimes need snow chains. The Village is walkable, and a local bus and a seasonal trolley go to the ski areas, but the cabins are spread through the forest, so errands and trailheads mean driving.

On a Las Vegas trip that stays on the Strip and downtown, you can manage without one. The monorail, buses that run day and night, taxis and ride-hailing cover most needs, though walking between the huge resorts takes longer than it looks. You need a hire car or a tour only for Red Rock, Hoover Dam and the rest of the desert.

Las Vegas is a proper shopping destination, at least for brands. Resort malls such as the Roman-themed arcade at Caesars Palace and the Venetian's canal-side shops hold the big fashion and jewellery houses, there are two large outlet centres, and everything stays open late. Big Bear's Village offers fudge, bear souvenirs and ski gear, an hour's browse at most.

Neither is cheap, and in both the cost depends on when you go. A shared Big Bear cabin midweek, with your own cooking, keeps things reasonable, but winter weekends bring higher rates and lift tickets.

Las Vegas hotel rooms can be good value from Sunday to Thursday, yet resort fees, cocktails, shows and Strip dining soon add up. In both, timing matters more than the destination.

Live entertainment is a main reason to visit Las Vegas. Dozens of shows play every night, from water-based acrobatics to magicians, star residencies run in the resort theatres, and the Smith Center hosts touring Broadway and the Philharmonic.

Big Bear has a community arts centre, free lakeside concerts in summer and Bavarian bands at its autumn Oktoberfest.

Relaxing is possible in both, but it means different things. In Big Bear it is a private hot tub on a deck among the pines and a slow midweek pace, with only a few small day spas.

Las Vegas has huge resort spas with thermal circuits, saunas and salt rooms, but they sit inside casinos built to keep you stimulated. Book a morning there and stay off the gaming floor.