Huntington Beach or Phoenix?

On beaches, the gap between these two is as wide as it gets. Huntington Beach has about 14km of flat sand with surf breaks, volleyball nets and evening fire rings, though the Pacific stays cool for much of the year and swimmers need to keep near the lifeguard towers.

Phoenix has no coast at all. Its water means the desert reservoirs east of the city, such as Saguaro Lake, tubing on the Salt River and, above all, the resort pools that a summer stay is built around.

Phoenix has the stronger food identity of its own. It has Sonoran carne asada, paper-thin flour tortillas, bacon-wrapped hot dogs from evening carts, a well-known pizza and bread scene, and independent places around Roosevelt Row. Eating well still usually means driving.

In Huntington Beach itself the food is fish tacos, surfer breakfasts and brewpubs with sea views, with plenty of chains. Its best meals are a short drive inland, in the pho houses and banh mi bakeries of Little Saigon.

Neither city has an old centre to wander, but Phoenix has far more to see. The Heard Museum's Native American collections, the Musical Instrument Museum and Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin West can fill several days, and Pueblo Grande has Hohokam remains for older history.

In Huntington Beach the sights come down to the pier, the International Surfing Museum and the handprints of the Surfers' Hall of Fame, which take an hour or two. For serious museums, visitors drive to Los Angeles.

Phoenix offers more choice, spread across separate districts. There are clubs and rooftop bars in Old Town Scottsdale, student bars on Tempe's Mill Avenue, and cocktail and craft beer bars downtown. Because the districts are far apart, a night out ends with a ride-hail home.

Huntington Beach has one strip, Main Street by the pier. Its sports bars, rooftop decks and few dance spots are lively on summer weekends and quiet during the week. In both places the bars close at 2am.

For outdoors on land, Phoenix is the better choice. It has saguaro trails in the McDowell Sonoran Preserve, steep climbs up Camelback and Piestewa Peak, and mountain biking on South Mountain, with Sedona's red rocks and the Superstitions further out. In summer the heat limits all of this to early mornings.

In Huntington Beach the outdoors means the ocean: surfing either side of the pier, paddling in the harbour channels and birding at Bolsa Chica. The town itself is flat suburb, so for hills you drive half an hour to Crystal Cove or Laguna.

Huntington Beach has far more within a day's reach. Los Angeles is about an hour away, Laguna Beach and Mission San Juan Capistrano are closer, ferries cross to Catalina Island, and San Diego works as a long day out.

Arizona's distances are greater, so Phoenix has less within two hours. To the north are the hillside mining town of Jerome, Montezuma Castle and Sedona, and to the south Tucson and Mission San Xavier del Bac. The Grand Canyon is too far for a comfortable day.

Huntington Beach is the easier place for families. Disneyland, California Adventure and Knott's Berry Farm are around half an hour inland, and the beach and Bolsa Chica's pelicans are on the doorstep. The mild climate allows outdoor days in most months, though the surf is better for boogie boards than for toddlers.

Phoenix has a zoo, a science centre, water parks and resorts with slides, and spring training baseball in March makes a relaxed outing. It works mainly in the cooler months, though, because the summer heat keeps small children indoors after early morning.

Both cities need a car, and neither has public transport a visitor can rely on. Huntington Beach has a walkable stretch around the pier and Main Street, and a flat beach path where a bike is useful. Every longer outing, though, means freeway traffic, and beach parking fills on summer weekends.

Phoenix has a light rail line linking the airport, downtown and Tempe, and its roads and parking are easy. The distances are much longer, though, and the summer heat makes even short walks hard work.

Phoenix has the more distinctive things to take home. Navajo and Zuni silver and turquoise, Hopi katsina carvings and rugs are best bought from reputable galleries. Scottsdale adds a luxury mall, art galleries and shops selling Western wear.

Shopping in Huntington Beach is about surf: board makers, swimwear and surf brands along Main Street. For bigger shopping, South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa, about twenty minutes away, has the major fashion houses.

Phoenix is the cheaper of the two, and much cheaper in summer, when resort rooms drop sharply. Winter in Scottsdale is costly. Chain hotels along the freeways and Sonoran Mexican food keep a budget trip manageable.

Huntington Beach is a pricey stretch of coast, and most expensive in summer and on weekends. Motels inland and the Vietnamese and Mexican food of the county help, and in both cities a rental car needs to be part of the budget.

Phoenix has a full set of companies in the city itself. The Phoenix Symphony, Arizona Opera and Ballet Arizona perform there, and touring Broadway shows play at ASU Gammage, Wright's round auditorium in Tempe. The season runs mostly from autumn to spring.

Huntington Beach itself has cover bands in the bars and summer concerts in the park. For more serious performances, the Segerstrom Center and South Coast Repertory are a short drive away in Costa Mesa.

For a proper rest, Phoenix is the stronger choice. Large desert resorts below Camelback have full spas, several pools and treatments made with sage, clay and agave, and they are at their best from autumn to spring.

Huntington Beach has little in the way of spas beyond resort hotels and ordinary day spas. It offers a different kind of unwinding instead: yoga on the sand, a sunset walk on the pier and an evening around a beach fire.