Boulder or Page, Arizona?

Neither is on a coast, but only Page gives you somewhere real to swim. Boulder has the small sandy swim area at Boulder Reservoir and lazy inner-tube floats down Boulder Creek. Both are fine for a hot afternoon, but neither is a reason to come.

In summer Lake Powell turns properly warm. There is open sand at Lone Rock, and boats and kayaks take you to red sandstone coves where you jump straight off the rock into deep water. Pack a swimsuit for whole days on the water in Page; in Boulder it is mostly for the hotel pool.

Boulder eats noticeably better. Seasonal Front Range cooking, plenty of vegetarian choice, good bakeries and coffee roasters, the Saturday market by the creek and tea at the Dushanbe Teahouse give meals real character, even if the range is narrow and Denver is where the depth lies.

Page feeds people rather than delights them, with diners, barbecue, Mexican places and chains along the main strip. Its one local find is the Navajo taco on frybread, which Boulder has no answer to, but there is no market or coffee culture to linger over.

Neither town is built for sightseeing, but Boulder has more to look at. The 1898 Chautauqua colony beneath the Flatirons, the sandstone and red-tile university campus and I.M. Pei's atmospheric research laboratory on its mesa fill a pleasant day, along with a few small museums.

Page is a 1950s dam town with little historic fabric. Its sights are the Glen Canyon Dam visitor centre and a small museum to John Wesley Powell, and its deeper interest lies in the surrounding Navajo Nation rather than in anything in town.

Boulder at least gives you a night out: taprooms, cocktail bars and pubs around Pearl Street, plus loud student bars on University Hill during term. Most places still wind down early, and Denver is the answer if you want clubs.

In Page the evening means a drink at one of a few bars or the brewpub, then bed before an early start in the canyons. The best thing to do after dark is look up at the star-filled desert sky, something Page does better than any bar.

Both are outstanding, and the difference is in kind. Boulder is a town for trails and rock. The Flatirons rise straight behind the streets, over 200km of paths start from Chautauqua, Eldorado Canyon draws climbers, and the tundra and elk of Rocky Mountain National Park are about an hour away, with the Eldora ski area for winter.

Page is about desert stone and water: the glowing slot canyons of Antelope Canyon on Navajo land, the river loop at Horseshoe Bend, boat trips across Lake Powell to Rainbow Bridge and rafting from Lees Ferry. In Boulder you can walk out of town into the hills. In Page you will need guided tours, a boat and a car.

Boulder has the more varied surroundings, mainly because Denver is about forty minutes away by express bus, with its large art museum, state capitol and Union Station. With a car you can add Golden, Fort Collins and the old silver-mining towns of Georgetown and Idaho Springs.

Around Page the drives are long and the towns few. Lees Ferry's pioneer buildings, the Betatakin cliff dwellings at Navajo National Monument and the small Western town of Kanab are all worth the trip, but they are spread far apart, and Monument Valley is scenery rather than a place to explore.

Boulder is the easier choice with children. The creek path, the Chautauqua meadow, tubing and the reservoir swim beach fill the days, and street performers on the Pearl Street Mall take care of the evenings. The planetarium and natural history museum help on a stormy afternoon, and Denver's zoo and aquarium are close by.

Page offers a great day out on Lake Powell and short Antelope Canyon tours that suit all ages, but nothing designed for children. With sheer, mostly unfenced edges at Horseshoe Bend, steep ladders on some slot-canyon tours, fierce summer heat and long hours in the car, it suits older, sturdier children best.

Getting around Boulder is easy. Downtown, the university and Chautauqua are all within walking or cycling distance, the off-street bike paths along Boulder Creek are excellent, and an express bus runs to Denver. Only the trailheads outside town and the national park call for a car.

In Page a car is not optional. You can walk the motel strip, but Horseshoe Bend, the marinas and the wider parks are all a drive away and there is no useful public transport. The major airports are hours off, so most people arrive on a road trip.

Boulder has a proper shopping street in the Pearl Street Mall, with independent bookshops, galleries and boutiques, and its climbing, running and cycling shops are excellent for a town of its size. Page has supermarkets and supply stores for stocking a houseboat, plus souvenir shops. Its one real draw is Navajo silver, turquoise, rugs and pottery, bought at trading posts or directly from the maker.

Neither is cheap, and Boulder is the dearer stay. Rooms are scarce and expensive, especially in summer and on university weekends, and meals and craft beer come at affluent prices. In its favour, the trails cost almost nothing.

Page is a little easier on the budget. Meals and fuel cost what they would in any small American town, though the paid Antelope Canyon tours and boat hire soon add up. Camping at Lone Rock or Wahweap, or coming in winter, keeps costs down.

This is one of the widest gaps between the two. Boulder has touring rock, bluegrass and roots acts most nights in small downtown rooms. In summer the 1898 Chautauqua Auditorium hosts the Colorado Music Festival and the Colorado Shakespeare Festival plays outdoors on campus, and Red Rocks Amphitheatre is under an hour's drive away.

Page has no theatre or concert venue. The most you will find is a Navajo dance presentation or dinner show for visitors, or a local band in a bar.

Boulder is the place to slow down. Yoga and meditation studios, massage and day spas are everywhere, a Buddhist-inspired university gives the contemplative side real depth, and the spring-fed pool at Eldorado Springs makes a gentle summer outing. For serious hot springs, though, you need to go about an hour away.

Page offers motel pools and the stillness of the desert at dusk, but the days are built around early tours and long drives. You come away refreshed by the scenery rather than rested.