Monterey or Page, Arizona?

Only one of these two is a place to swim. Monterey's shoreline is lovely to look at, from Del Monte Beach and Carmel's white sand to the dunes at Asilomar, but the bay stays cold all year and rip currents are common. Even on the sunniest autumn days, most people do no more than wade at the edge near the wharf. Anyone who goes further out is in a wetsuit, and is usually there to kayak or dive rather than to swim.

Page wins because Lake Powell gets properly warm in the desert summer. You can spend whole days swimming from a boat or kayak in the sandstone coves, or from the open sand around Wahweap. There are no lifeguards, though, and the beaches shift as the lake rises and falls. The season is also short: Monterey's sand is good for walks all year, but Page's lake is a warm-weather pleasure only, and it turns too chilly for most swimmers between late autumn and spring.

Monterey eats far better. Squid, Dungeness crab and sand dabs come from the bay, and Salinas Valley produce comes from the farmland behind it, while Carmel Valley and the Santa Lucia Highlands supply serious Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. The trick is to skip the bread-bowl chowder on the wharf and head for the side streets of Old Monterey, Pacific Grove or Carmel.

In Page, meals are mostly fuel between outings: diners, barbecue, Mexican food and chains along the main strip. The one thing worth seeking out is a Navajo taco from a roadside stand on the reservation.

Monterey has real history, even if it comes on a small scale. As the capital of Spanish and Mexican Alta California, it has left a walkable cluster of adobes, including the Custom House and Colton Hall, where the state's first constitution was drafted. The Carmel Mission is ten minutes away, and the old cannery shells of Cannery Row bring Steinbeck to life.

Page was founded in the 1950s for the builders of the Glen Canyon Dam, so its sights are the dam's visitor centre and a small museum devoted to John Wesley Powell. The deeper culture of the area belongs to the Navajo Nation around the town, not to anything you can visit indoors.

Both towns go to bed early, but Monterey at least gives you somewhere to go after dinner. The pubs, wine bars and brewpubs on Alvarado Street draw students from the language and naval schools, and Cannery Row picks up a little on weekends. Page has a handful of bars and a brewpub, and the best night out there is the star-filled desert sky. Many visitors turn in early anyway, ahead of a sunrise canyon tour.

Both are superb, but in very different ways. Monterey is about marine life. The deep submarine canyon just offshore brings humpbacks, grey whales and orcas within reach of boats from the harbour, and you can see otters in the kelp from the shoreline path. Point Lobos and the redwood canyons of Big Sur lie just to the south.

Page has the edge for sheer spectacle. The glowing slot canyons of Antelope Canyon and the loop of the river at Horseshoe Bend are both minutes from town. Beyond them you can take a boat across Lake Powell to Rainbow Bridge, raft or float from Lees Ferry, or hike the Vermilion Cliffs and the Wave if you win a permit.

Monterey has many more easy outings. Carmel-by-the-Sea and Victorian Pacific Grove are minutes away, and the Carmel Valley wineries, Steinbeck's Salinas, the old plaza at San Juan Bautista and the Santa Cruz boardwalk are all within an hour or so.

From Page, the outings are scenic drives with few towns along the way. Lees Ferry's pioneer buildings make an easy half day. Beyond that, the options are Kanab and Pipe Spring in Utah, or the Betatakin cliff dwellings at Navajo National Monument, which are around two hours away.

Monterey is the easier and richer choice for children. The aquarium, with its kelp forest, otters and hands-on exhibits, could fill a day by itself. After that come the tide pools at Pacific Grove, whale-watching boats, sea lions by the wharf and Dennis the Menace Park, all in a safe, small town.

Page suits families who are happy outdoors. A splashing day on Lake Powell and a short Antelope Canyon tour go down well with all ages. However, there is nothing built for children, the viewpoint edges are unfenced, some canyon tours involve steep ladders, and the summer heat is hard on small ones.

Monterey's waterfront is easy without a car. The flat coastal trail runs from Fisherman's Wharf past Cannery Row and the aquarium to Pacific Grove, which makes it pleasant on foot or by hired bike. For the 17-Mile Drive, Point Lobos or Big Sur, though, you will still want a car.

In Page, a car is not optional. Only the motel strip can be walked, there is no useful public transport, and the lake, Horseshoe Bend and the wider parks all lie out along open highway. The nearest major airports are hours away, so most visitors arrive as part of a road trip.

Neither is a shopping destination, but Monterey gives you a better afternoon of it. The gift shops on Cannery Row are forgettable, but nearby Carmel-by-the-Sea has galleries, independent boutiques and tasting rooms, and Pacific Grove has antique shops. Page offers one thing Monterey cannot: Navajo silver and turquoise jewellery, rugs and pottery, bought at trading posts and roadside stalls, often straight from the maker.

Page is the easier of the two on the wallet, though it is still no bargain. Monterey's rooms are priced for the Californian weekend market and peak during the classic-car week at Pebble Beach. Dinners on Cannery Row and in Carmel are aimed at resort guests, and the aquarium is a real cost for a family. To save money there, stay in a motel in Seaside or Marina, come midweek or in winter, and build the days around the free coastal trail and tide pools.

In Page, everyday meals and fuel cost what they do in any small American town. The money goes on the sights: Antelope Canyon can only be seen on a paid tour, and boats and houseboats on the lake are dear. Camping at Lone Rock or Wahweap cuts costs considerably.

Monterey has a real musical pedigree. It has held its jazz festival every September since 1958, and the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival took place on the same fairgrounds. In summer, the Carmel Bach Festival and plays at the open-air Forest Theater fill the peninsula. Outside the festivals, there are the symphony season and touring acts at the Golden State Theatre.

Page has no theatre or concert venue. The closest thing to a performance is a Navajo dance presentation or dinner show put on for visitors.

Monterey is the better place to slow down. The pace is gentle, with fog lifting off the bay and evening walks along the Pacific Grove shore. Carmel Valley's resort spas sit among vineyards and oaks, and Pebble Beach's golf resorts have spas of their own.

Page has quiet evenings and wide skies, but beyond hotel extras and motel pools it has no spas. Most stays there are built around pre-dawn canyon tours and long drives, so they tend to leave you tired rather than rested.