Monterey or Sedona?

Neither is a swimming destination, but Monterey at least has real beaches: the white sand and cypresses of Carmel Beach, the dunes at Asilomar and the long strand of Del Monte Beach. They are for walks and picnics, though, because the bay is cold and rip currents are common.

Sedona has no coast at all. Its version of a beach day is Oak Creek, sliding down the sandstone chute at Slide Rock or swimming in the pools at Grasshopper Point, which is fun after a hike but small and quickly crowded.

Monterey eats better, mainly because of what lies close by: squid, Dungeness crab and sand dabs from the bay, artichokes and greens from the Salinas Valley, and Pinot Noir from the Santa Lucia Highlands. Skip the chowder bowls on the wharf and look in Old Monterey, Pacific Grove and Carmel.

In Sedona the setting often matters more than the cooking. Menus lean Southwestern or health-minded, sunset terraces are the prize, and the Verde Valley tasting rooms give it a wine angle of its own.

Monterey has much more history to walk through. The Custom House, Colton Hall and the Royal Presidio Chapel survive from its time as capital of Alta California, the Carmel Mission is ten minutes away, and Cannery Row keeps Steinbeck's canneries in outline.

Sedona's sights fit into an afternoon: the Chapel of the Holy Cross set into its butte, a small heritage museum and galleries of Western art. Its most memorable history lies in the Sinagua cliff dwellings at Palatki and Honanki, out in the red rock backcountry.

Monterey gives you more of an evening. Downtown's Alvarado Street has a short run of pubs, wine bars and brewpubs where students from the language and naval schools drink alongside visitors, and Cannery Row's hotel bars liven up a little at weekends. There are no clubs, though, and the town is mostly quiet well before midnight.

Sedona keeps even earlier hours. A drink means a resort lounge or an Uptown brewpub, most people turn in early before a dawn start on the trail, and the clear desert air makes stargazing the real entertainment after dark.

Both are superb, but Sedona's red rock country edges ahead for anyone who travels to be outside. Trails lead straight from town to Cathedral Rock, Devil's Bridge and Boynton Canyon, the slickrock singletrack draws mountain bikers, Oak Creek Canyon climbs into pine forest, and the Grand Canyon is close enough for a day.

Monterey's strength is the sea. Whales come in over the submarine canyon, otters float in the kelp beside the shoreline path, and divers and kayakers head straight into the bay, while Point Lobos and Big Sur add cliff walks and redwoods to the south.

The outings are about equal in number but very different in character. From Monterey they are seaside and literary: Carmel's cottages and galleries, Victorian Pacific Grove, Steinbeck's Salinas and the surf town of Santa Cruz, with San Francisco possible but a long day.

From Sedona they lead into the deep past and the mining West: Montezuma Castle and Tuzigoot within half an hour, the hillside copper town of Jerome, the Verde Canyon Railroad and Flagstaff's old railroad streets. In both places a few days cover the best of it.

Monterey is much the better family base. The aquarium alone takes up a day, and children can also watch otters from the waterfront path, poke around the tide pools at Pacific Grove and run around Dennis the Menace Park, with the Santa Cruz rides under an hour away.

Sedona works for active families who enjoy Slide Rock, jeep tours and the gentler trails around Bell Rock. However, it has no attractions built for children, the summer heat and exposed trails need care, and many hotels are aimed at couples.

Monterey's main sights are strung along a flat coastal trail, so the wharf, downtown, Cannery Row, the aquarium and Pacific Grove can all be reached on foot or by bike. You need a car only for Carmel Valley, Point Lobos and Big Sur.

In Sedona the car is needed almost from the start. The town spreads along two highways from the Y, only Uptown is walkable, trailhead parking fills early and the nearest major airport is in Phoenix, about two hours' drive away.

Neither is a shopping destination, and the interest lies in art rather than fashion in both. Monterey's own shops sell taffy and otter souvenirs, so the real browsing is in Carmel's galleries and boutiques and Pacific Grove's antique shops. Sedona offers courtyard studios at Tlaquepaque, Native American jewellery, pottery and rugs, and a crystal and metaphysical trade you will not find on the peninsula.

Both are costly. Monterey's rooms are priced for the Californian weekend market, while Sedona's are mostly resorts and boutique lodges. In Monterey the aquarium tickets add up, and in Sedona the jeep tours, balloon flights and spa bookings do.

The ways of saving differ. In Monterey you stay in Seaside or Marina, come midweek or in winter, and spend the days on the free coastal trail and at the tide pools. In Sedona you sleep in Cottonwood or Flagstaff, drive in for the day and hike trails that need only a parking pass.

Monterey has a real place in music history. The jazz festival has been held every September since 1958, the 1967 Pop Festival took place on the same fairgrounds, and in summer the Carmel Bach Festival and the open-air Forest Theater add more, with the Golden State Theatre for touring acts.

Sedona offers occasional chamber concerts, local theatre and its film festival in late winter, with Native American flute players in resort lounges, and serious performances mean a drive to Flagstaff or Phoenix.

This is where Sedona leads by a long way. Its destination resorts have spas facing the canyons, there is a wide choice of yoga, meditation, breathwork and massage, and sunrise walks to the vortexes are part of a stay, all in clear, quiet desert air.

Monterey relaxes you through its pace instead: fog lifting off the bay, evening walks at Pacific Grove and a resort spa in the sunnier Carmel Valley or at Pebble Beach. Neither town has thermal baths.