Big Bear Lake or Palm Desert?

Neither town is a beach destination, but at least Big Bear Lake has open water. In summer you can swim off the rocky shore or from the supervised swim beach at Meadow Park. The lake is cool, though, and most people are out on it in kayaks or on paddleboards rather than in it.

Palm Desert has no natural water to swim in. The salty Salton Sea is off limits, and the Pacific is a full day's round trip away, so swimming here means a resort or rental pool. Many of those pools are heated in winter, which makes a swim more comfortable than in the lake.

Palm Desert eats better. Its steakhouses and patio bistros along El Paseo are polished, if rather alike. For something with local character, try the taquerias and bakeries of Indio and Coachella, or a date shake from the groves, the valley's one true speciality. Palm Springs is close if you want more choice.

Big Bear offers mountain fuel: diner breakfasts, burgers, barbecue and a brewpub pint. Many visitors simply cook in their cabin.

Neither will satisfy a museum lover, but Palm Desert has rather more to see. There is a branch of the Palm Springs Art Museum with a sculpture garden and galleries along El Paseo. Palm Springs' mid-century modern houses are a short drive away.

Big Bear's history is the 1860s gold rush in Holcomb Valley, best seen on a dirt-road drive past old mining remains. The rest is forest interpretation at the Discovery Center.

Both towns are quiet after dinner, but Palm Desert offers more of an evening out. Its wine bars and patio cocktail lounges fill up on winter nights, the tribal casinos stay open late, and Palm Springs' downtown bars, including its gay scene, are twenty minutes away.

In Big Bear, a night out means après-ski in a pub in the Village in season, then back to the fire.

Big Bear Lake is the more complete outdoor base. It has skiing in winter, and in summer an alpine lake for fishing, sailing and paddling, ski runs turned into bike trails, and the Pacific Crest Trail and San Gorgonio Wilderness on the doorstep. Bald eagles spend the winter around the lake.

Palm Desert's landscape is drier and starker. It has steep trails up the Santa Rosa Mountains, palm oases in the Indian Canyons, and the boulders and night skies of Joshua Tree about an hour away. It is excellent from autumn to spring and nearly unusable in midsummer.

Palm Desert is far better placed for outings on open desert roads. Palm Springs is twenty minutes away, and Temecula's tasting rooms, cool Idyllwild, the old film set at Pioneertown and Salvation Mountain all make good days out.

From Big Bear, winding mountain roads slow everything down. Lake Arrowhead, the orchards of Oak Glen and Riverside's Mission Inn are the realistic choices, and most visitors simply stay up the mountain.

Both work for families, but Big Bear has the edge with children from the lowlands. Its sledding hills, beginner ski lessons, alpine slide and pedal boats keep children busy, and the small Alpine Zoo is home to rescued bears and bobcats.

Palm Desert's big draw is the Living Desert, a large zoo and garden worth a whole morning. After that, resort pools fill the days in a valley built mostly for adults, and summer heat rules out midday outings.

You'll need a car in both. The difference is that Big Bear's Village can be walked, and a local bus and seasonal trolley link it with the ski areas. The catch is the drive up, on steep highways where snow chains may be needed in winter and traffic crawls on busy weekends.

Palm Desert is spread out along wide boulevards, and only El Paseo is pleasant on foot. On the other hand, the roads are clear and parking is easy.

Palm Desert is far ahead. El Paseo is a palm-lined street of fashion boutiques, jewellers and art galleries for a wealthy winter crowd, with a mall nearby and a big designer outlet half an hour west.

In Big Bear, shopping means fudge, bear-themed souvenirs and outfitters renting ski and lake gear, which is enough for an hour's browsing.

Neither is cheap, and in both the timing decides the bill. Big Bear is most economical midweek or out of season, when a group shares a cabin and cooks for itself. Winter weekends, lift tickets and equipment hire push costs up quickly.

Palm Desert is dearest in its winter and spring high season. Resort rates drop sharply from June to September, but that is when the heat makes most outdoor activity impossible. Golf and spa treatments, and the hire car you can't do without, are what stretch a budget there.

Palm Desert has a real stage in the McCallum Theatre, with touring Broadway shows, ballet, orchestras and well-known singers through the winter season. Casino and arena concerts run through the year, and Coachella and Stagecoach take over the Indio polo grounds each spring.

Big Bear's offering is a community arts centre, free lakeside concerts in summer and the brass bands of its autumn Oktoberfest.

Palm Desert is built for slowing down. Resort spas, long afternoons by the pool and dry winter sun set the pace. In Desert Hot Springs, half an hour north, small spa hotels fill their pools from natural mineral springs.

In Big Bear, relaxing happens mostly in your own cabin, with a wood stove, a deck among the pines and a private hot tub. There are only a few day spas, and winter weekend crowds break the calm.