Flagstaff or Newport Beach?

Only one of these is a beach town. Newport Beach has about 10km of sand along the Balboa Peninsula, with surf by the piers, calmer coves at Corona del Mar and sheltered harbour beaches for toddlers. The Pacific stays cool, though, and many people swim in wetsuits.

Flagstaff sits on a high plateau, hours from any coast. Swimming there means the cold, slippery creek pools of Oak Creek Canyon such as Slide Rock, or a hotel pool.

Neither town is a food destination, but Newport eats better. It has waterfront seafood around the harbour and Lido, brunch in Corona del Mar and fish tacos on the peninsula, and Little Saigon's Vietnamese cooking is twenty minutes inland. The catch is the high prices.

Flagstaff's strength is beer, with craft brewery taprooms downtown and in the Southside. Beyond that there are diners, Mexican and New Mexican cooking, and now and then Navajo frybread or green chile.

Flagstaff has the stronger short list of sights. The Lowell Observatory, where Pluto was discovered in 1930, and the Hopi, Navajo and Zuni collections at the Museum of Northern Arizona both deserve real time. The brick Route 66 downtown and the Riordan Mansion fill out a day or two.

Newport has old resort charm rather than sights: the Balboa Pavilion, the little island ferry and, for architecture fans, Schindler's Lovell Beach House. Mostly you look at the yachts and the houses on the bluffs.

Both towns are quiet after dark. The difference is the crowd. In Flagstaff an evening out means brewery taprooms, cocktail bars and old Route 66 saloons, all a short walk apart downtown. It is livelier when the university is in term and winds down early.

Newport splits between loud beach bars and dive bars near the piers and dressier wine bars and hotel lounges around the harbour. Neither town has real clubs, and from Newport a big night means driving to Los Angeles.

Of the two, Flagstaff is by far the better outdoor base. Humphreys Peak, aspen groves and a ski area rise above the town, and the ponderosa forest and the Arizona Trail begin at the edge of town. Sedona's canyons and the South Rim of the Grand Canyon are an easy drive away, and the night skies are famously dark.

Newport's outdoors are gentler and coastal. There are herons and shorebirds on the Upper Newport Bay estuary, bluff and canyon trails in Crystal Cove, kayaking in the harbour and whale-watching boats all year.

Newport has more within reach, and the trips range from small coastal towns to big cities. Laguna Beach, Mission San Juan Capistrano, the ferry to Avalon on Catalina Island, Los Angeles and San Diego all make good days out, though freeway traffic can double the journey times.

Flagstaff's outings are fewer and further apart, but unusual. They include the Sinagua ruins at Walnut Canyon and Wupatki, the hillside town of Jerome, the historic railway from Williams to the canyon and the Hopi mesas about two hours east.

Newport is the easier choice with children. Shallow harbour water, the Balboa Fun Zone, the car ferry, tide pools and bike paths fill the days, and Disneyland and Knott's Berry Farm are about half an hour inland.

Flagstaff suits curious older children, with telescope evenings, dinosaur displays, rope courses and snow play in winter. The altitude, cold nights and long drives make it harder work with little ones.

You will want a car in both towns, but Flagstaff copes a little better without one. Its downtown and Southside are compact enough to walk, the urban trails make cycling easy, and long-distance trains stop at the historic station. The canyons and monuments are still out of reach of the buses.

Newport spreads along the coast and up the hills, the buses are slow, and parking is hard to find in summer. Only the flat Balboa Peninsula and Balboa Island, linked by the ferry, are easy on foot or by bike.

Newport is the place for shopping, and it is built around luxury malls. There is an open-air centre above the harbour, and ten minutes inland in Costa Mesa is one of the country's largest designer malls. Corona del Mar has boutiques and the peninsula has surf shops.

Flagstaff's shopping is small-scale, but it has what Newport lacks: Navajo rugs, Hopi kachina carvings, pottery and turquoise jewellery in galleries and trading posts. These are best bought from established dealers or from the artists themselves.

Flagstaff is clearly the cheaper stay. Chain motels on Route 66 and brewery meals keep a trip moderate, although rooms go up on summer weekends and park fees and fuel add to the cost.

Newport is expensive even for California. Hotels charge resort prices, restaurants charge for the views, and parking comes on top of car hire. Staying inland in Costa Mesa or Irvine saves a little.

Newport has the better evenings out, thanks to the Segerstrom Center for the Arts ten minutes away in Costa Mesa. It stages touring Broadway shows and ballet and is home to the Pacific Symphony, and South Coast Repertory next door puts on new American plays.

Flagstaff's programme is modest. There are the symphony and university musicians on campus, touring folk and indie acts at the restored Orpheum and outdoor concerts in the pines in summer.

Newport has more on offer for pampering, with full spas at the hillside resorts and day spas and yoga studios around Corona del Mar, plus bluff walks and sunsets over the water. Flagstaff has only a few day spas, and its calm comes from the pine air, cool nights and starry skies. For resort spas, Flagstaff visitors drive an hour down to Sedona.