Monterey or Sun Valley?

Neither place is a beach destination, but Monterey at least has a real shoreline: Del Monte Beach, the white sand of Carmel Beach and the Asilomar dunes are fine for walks, picnics and a paddle on a warm autumn day, even if the cold water and rip currents rule out long swims.

Sun Valley is far inland, so swimming means Redfish Lake under the Sawtooths in high summer, river eddies on the Big Wood or, most reliably, a heated pool.

The two eat at a similar level, and the difference is in what is on the plate. Monterey cooks from the bay and the Salinas Valley, with squid, crab, sand dabs and artichokes, plus Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from Carmel Valley and the Santa Lucia Highlands; the better tables are away from the wharf, in Old Monterey, Pacific Grove and Carmel.

Sun Valley's eating is concentrated in Ketchum and follows the ski day, from après grills and pizza to a few ambitious kitchens doing trout, lamb and elk. Some places scale back in the quiet months.

Monterey has far more to see. As the old capital of Alta California it keeps the Custom House, Colton Hall and the Royal Presidio Chapel within a short walk of each other, with the Carmel Mission ten minutes away and Steinbeck's canneries along the waterfront.

Sun Valley's story begins in 1936 with the railway-built resort and its first chairlifts, and the lodge corridors and Hemingway's grave in Ketchum cover most of it in an afternoon.

Both towns go quiet early, but Monterey has a bit more to offer year round: the pubs, wine bars and brewpubs on Alvarado Street draw students from the language and naval schools, and Cannery Row picks up on weekends. In Sun Valley a night out is après-ski in Ketchum's saloons and lounges, lively in the ski season and midsummer and close to silent the rest of the year.

Both are superb, and Sun Valley has the edge for active trips because the mountains are on its doorstep in every season: Bald Mountain's skiing, Nordic and backcountry routes in winter, then singletrack, fly fishing at Silver Creek, rafting and the alpine lakes of the Sawtooths in summer.

Monterey's strength is the sea and its wildlife. Whales pass close over the submarine canyon, otters float in the kelp beside the trail, and Point Lobos and Big Sur give some of the finest coastal walking in California.

Monterey is far better placed for outings. Carmel-by-the-Sea and Pacific Grove are minutes away, Salinas and San Juan Bautista bring Steinbeck country and mission history, and Santa Cruz's surf town and boardwalk are under an hour north.

From Sun Valley the trips lead into the wild rather than to other towns. Hailey's small historic main street is just down the valley. Stanley, a log-cabin outpost beyond the Sawtooths, is a longer scenic drive that is worth making for its setting. Shoshone Falls is about two hours south, and Boise is too far for a day.

Monterey gives children more to do. The aquarium, with its kelp forest, otters and hands-on exhibits, anchors a stay, and tide pools, whale boats and the sea lions on the wharf fill the gaps.

Sun Valley works well for families who ski or ride, with a gentle beginners' hill and a good ski school, but nothing is built for children and rainy days are hard to fill. The altitude and midwinter cold also weigh on toddlers.

Sun Valley is slightly easier without a car. The free bus links Ketchum, the village and the lift bases, so many visitors manage a ski week entirely on foot and by bus.

Monterey's waterfront is easy on foot or by hired bike along the coastal trail, but the local buses are slow, and Point Lobos, Carmel Valley and Big Sur need a car. In both places the best of the countryside is out of reach without one.

Monterey itself sells mostly taffy and otter souvenirs, but Carmel's galleries and independent boutiques and Pacific Grove's antique shops make it the better afternoon's browsing. Ketchum's few blocks are narrower and pricier, though they are the place for serious ski, fly-fishing and outdoor gear and for western art.

Both are expensive, but Monterey leaves more room to save. Chain motels along the highway and in Seaside and Marina, midweek or winter stays and free days on the trail and tide pools keep costs down.

Sun Valley has little budget lodging at all, and its second-home market sets the price of rooms, meals and lift access. Staying down the valley and coming in spring or autumn helps, but it remains the dearer trip.

Both towns come alive for festivals and are quiet otherwise. Monterey's calendar centres on the Jazz Festival in September, with its long history on the same fairgrounds as the 1967 Pop Festival, plus the Carmel Bach Festival and the open-air Forest Theater in summer.

Sun Valley packs its season into summer: free orchestral concerts at the pavilion by the lodge, with picnics on the lawn, and ice shows on the outdoor rink.

Sun Valley is the better place to unwind after a day out. Resort spas, outdoor heated pools in falling snow and the rough creekside hot springs up the Warm Springs valley give it real places to soak.

Monterey's calm comes from foggy mornings, shoreline walks in Pacific Grove and quiet days in Carmel, with resort spas inland in Carmel Valley and at Pebble Beach but nowhere public to bathe.