Page, Arizona or Scottsdale?

Page has much the better water. In summer Lake Powell is warm enough for long swims, whether from the open sand at Lone Rock Beach or from sandstone coves where you jump off the rock into deep water from a boat or kayak. There are no lifeguards, though, and the beaches move as the lake level rises and falls.

Scottsdale has no swimming of its own apart from resort pools, which do most of the work. Saguaro and Canyon lakes are a drive away, and tubing on the Salt River fills a summer afternoon, but neither comes close to a day on Lake Powell.

Scottsdale eats far better. Old Town and the resort corridors offer steakhouses, sushi and smart brunches. The local Sonoran-style Mexican cooking, with its huge flour tortillas and green chile, is worth looking for, and Phoenix is close by if you want tables with more character.

Page feeds road-trippers and tour groups with diners, barbecue and chains. Its one dish of real interest is the Navajo taco on frybread. Dinner there is fuel between outings rather than an event.

Scottsdale has far more to see. Taliesin West, Frank Lloyd Wright's desert studio, is a real highlight, and the Museum of the West, the contemporary art museum and the Old Town galleries add more. The Heard Museum and the Musical Instrument Museum are a short drive away.

Page was built in the 1950s to house the dam workers, so its sights are the Glen Canyon Dam visitor centre and a small museum about John Wesley Powell. The area's deeper heritage belongs to the surrounding Navajo Nation, which most visitors meet through Navajo guides on the canyon tours.

Scottsdale has a real night out and Page essentially does not. Old Town's entertainment district is packed with patio bars, rooftop lounges and dance clubs that stay loud until 2am at weekends and in spring, with calmer cocktail and wine bars around the edges.

In Page, a few bars and a brewpub wind down early, because most visitors are up before dawn for the canyons. Its best evening costs nothing: lying back under a very dark desert sky full of stars.

Both sit in desert country, but the land around Page is in another league. Horseshoe Bend, the glowing slot canyons, the flooded canyons of Lake Powell and Rainbow Bridge are all close. The Vermilion Cliffs, the Wave and Grand Canyon rafting from Lees Ferry are also within reach.

Scottsdale's strength is easy access. The saguaro trails of the McDowell Sonoran Preserve start at the city's edge, Camelback Mountain is a short, hard climb, and the Superstition Mountains and the Salt River lakes offer more. It is excellent desert walking, but not on Page's scale.

Scottsdale is the better base for day trips to towns and heritage sites. Sedona, Montezuma Castle and the old mining town of Jerome make a fine run north, Prescott and Tucson are similar distances away, and Goldfield ghost town is an easy half day.

Most day trips from Page lead to more landscape. Lees Ferry's pioneer buildings, the Betatakin cliff dwellings at Navajo National Monument and the small Western town of Kanab are the main options, and the drives between them are long.

Scottsdale is easier with children. Resorts with lazy rivers and kids' clubs, McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park, the OdySea Aquarium and the Phoenix Zoo give you plenty to fill the days, as long as you avoid the summer heat.

Page suits older children in outdoorsy families. A beach day at Lone Rock and a short Antelope Canyon tour are both easy wins. There is nothing built specially for children, though, and the unfenced cliff edges at Horseshoe Bend mean small children need watching closely.

You will need a car in both, but Scottsdale is somewhat easier. Old Town is walkable outside summer, a free trolley links it to the main shopping areas, ride-hailing covers the rest, and the Phoenix airport is a short drive away.

Page's small main strip can be walked, but its sights are spread across hours of open highway with no public transport. The nearest major airports are also hours away, so most visitors arrive on a road trip.

Scottsdale is a real shopping destination. Its luxury mall holds the big fashion houses, and open-air centres add mid-range brands. The galleries along Main Street and Marshall Way sell southwestern art, and nearby shops carry high-quality Navajo and Hopi jewellery as well as western boots and hats.

Page offers souvenirs and supplies. Its one real draw is Navajo silver, turquoise, rugs and pottery, sold at trading posts and roadside stalls where you can often buy straight from the maker.

Neither is cheap, but the money goes on different things. In Page the cost is in the experiences: Antelope Canyon can only be seen on paid tours, boat and houseboat hire is expensive, and rooms are scarce in the busy months. Camping at Lone Rock or Wahweap and visiting in winter keep costs down.

In Scottsdale it is the resort lifestyle, with rooms, golf, spa treatments and Old Town dinners all costly in winter and spring. Resort rates drop sharply in summer, and the trails in the desert preserve are free.

Scottsdale can fill a few good evenings. Its performing arts centre in Old Town stages chamber music, jazz, comedy and dance, the Musical Instrument Museum hosts world music concerts, and the Phoenix symphony, opera and ballet are about half an hour away. Page has no theatre or concert venue, only occasional Navajo dance presentations for visitors and the odd bar band.

Scottsdale is built for unwinding. It has large resort spas with desert-inspired treatments, outdoor pools and steam rooms, many open to day guests, along with yoga and retreats, and the whole place moves at a slow pace of golf and early nights.

Page has motel pools and little else of this kind. You will find calm in its quiet evenings and dark skies, but the days are shaped by pre-dawn canyon starts and long drives.