Monterey or Scottsdale?

Neither is a swimming destination, but at least Monterey has the sea. Its beaches, from Del Monte Beach on the edge of town to the white sand of Carmel Beach and the dunes at Asilomar, are lovely for walks, picnics and watching the surf, even if the cold water and rip currents keep most people out of it.

Scottsdale has no coast at all. Swimming means the resort pool, and the outings are the reservoir coves at Saguaro Lake and Canyon Lake or a summer tube ride down the Salt River. Come to Monterey for sand and sea air, and to Scottsdale if a warm pool is what you really want.

Monterey's cooking is narrower but rooted in place. Squid, Dungeness crab and sand dabs come from the bay, vegetables come from the Salinas Valley, and Pinot Noir and Chardonnay come from Carmel Valley and the Santa Lucia Highlands. Skip the chowder stands on the wharf and eat in Old Monterey, Pacific Grove or Carmel.

Scottsdale gives you more choice and more consistency. It has steakhouses, sushi, patio grills and long brunches across Old Town and the resort corridors, and the Sonoran Mexican cooking of the wider Phoenix area gives it a real local flavour. Some of the most characterful places to eat are a short drive away in Phoenix.

The two are evenly matched, and both offer compact history rather than great museums, but they tell different stories. Monterey's is Spanish and Mexican California: the adobes of the State Historic Park, the Custom House, Colton Hall, the Royal Presidio Chapel and the Carmel Mission, along with Steinbeck's Cannery Row.

Scottsdale's story is architecture and the American West. Taliesin West, Frank Lloyd Wright's desert studio, is the highlight. Old Town adds museums of western and contemporary art and galleries of southwestern work, and the Heard Museum and the Musical Instrument Museum are nearby.

Monterey is a town for dinner and a drink. There are a handful of pubs and brewpubs on Alvarado Street and hotel bars on Cannery Row, but no clubs, and most of the town is quiet before midnight.

Scottsdale is clearly the place for a night out. Old Town's entertainment district packs patio bars, rooftop lounges and dance clubs into a few blocks that stay loud until closing at weekends and through spring, with calmer cocktail and wine bars around the edges.

Both have remarkable landscapes on the doorstep, but Monterey's is the richer. Whales pass close to the harbour through much of the year, sea otters float in the kelp beside the coastal path, and Point Lobos and Big Sur add cliff walks, redwood canyons and waterfalls within a short drive.

Scottsdale's great asset is the Sonoran Desert. There are saguaro trails in the McDowell Sonoran Preserve, steep climbs up Camelback Mountain and Pinnacle Peak, and the Superstition Mountains and desert lakes further out. It is superb from late autumn to spring, but in summer the heat limits hiking to dawn.

Monterey's best outings are short hops. Carmel-by-the-Sea and Pacific Grove are minutes away, Carmel Valley's wineries and Steinbeck's Salinas are not much further, and Santa Cruz is under an hour north. Having so much close by makes it slightly the better base.

Scottsdale's highlights take more time on the road. Sedona's red rocks, Montezuma Castle and the hillside mining town of Jerome are about two hours north, Tucson is a similar distance south, and the Grand Canyon really needs a night away. Goldfield ghost town and the Apache Trail make easier half-days.

Monterey has the edge, mainly thanks to the Monterey Bay Aquarium with its kelp forest and otters. Add tide pools at Pacific Grove and Point Lobos, whale-watching boats, and otters and sea lions in plain view from the waterfront path. Beach days mean sandcastles rather than swimming.

In Scottsdale the resort itself is the main attraction for children, with lazy rivers, slides and kids' clubs. Beyond it there are the miniature trains at McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park and an aquarium and butterfly house just outside town. Summer heat drives children indoors by midday, and every outing means a drive.

Monterey is easier without a car, at least for the core of a visit. The flat coastal trail links Fisherman's Wharf, downtown, Cannery Row and the aquarium and continues to Pacific Grove, which makes it ideal on foot or by hired bike. Big Sur, Point Lobos and Carmel Valley still need a car.

Scottsdale is built for driving. Apart from compact Old Town and the free trolley to the shopping areas, its resorts, trailheads and malls are spread along wide roads that the light rail never reaches, so you will need a hire car or ride-hailing. On the plus side, the roads follow a simple grid and parking is easy.

In Monterey itself, shopping mostly means taffy and otter souvenirs on the wharf. The browsing worth doing is in the boutiques and galleries of Carmel-by-the-Sea and the antique shops of Pacific Grove, which make a pleasant afternoon.

Scottsdale is a real shopping destination. There is a large luxury mall on Scottsdale Road and open-air centres further north, while Old Town's gallery district sells southwestern art, Navajo and Hopi silver, turquoise, Pueblo pottery and western boots. The feel is polished rather than independent.

Both are expensive, but Monterey is harder on a budget. Rooms on the peninsula are priced for Californian weekenders and climb further on summer weekends and during the August classic-car week at Pebble Beach. Saving money means a motel in Seaside or Marina and a midweek or winter stay.

In Scottsdale, the high prices come mainly in winter and spring, and resorts cut their rates sharply in summer for anyone who can bear the heat. Motels along the main roads and Mexican food across the metro area help too, and in both places the trails cost nothing, along the coast in one and through the desert in the other.

Monterey's music life is built around festivals. The Monterey Jazz Festival has been held every September since 1958 on the fairgrounds where the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival took place, and the Carmel Bach Festival fills the summer. Outside those dates there is the symphony and the Golden State Theatre, and not much else.

Scottsdale offers a steadier choice through the season. Its Old Town arts centre puts on chamber music, jazz, dance and comedy, and the Musical Instrument Museum's theatre hosts world music. Phoenix and Tempe add opera, ballet, the symphony and touring Broadway shows within half an hour.

Monterey's kind of calm is gentler and less organised: foggy mornings, walks along the shore in Pacific Grove and slow days in Carmel, with resort spas in sunny Carmel Valley and at Pebble Beach. It is calmest midweek or out of season.

Scottsdale is built for pampering. Large resort spas with desert-inspired treatments, outdoor pools and steam rooms sit against mountain views in dry air, many of them open to day guests, and yoga and retreats are easy to find. Neither place has public baths or a bathing tradition of its own.