Santa Monica or Sedona?

This is where the two differ most. Santa Monica has a wide band of pale sand the length of the town, with lifeguard towers, the pier in the middle, and more scenic, quieter coves at Zuma, El Matador and Point Dume to the north. The Pacific is cool, though, and many people wade rather than swim.

Sedona is high desert with no coast at all. Swimming there means Oak Creek: sliding down the sandstone chute at Slide Rock, or dropping into the deeper pools at Grasshopper Point and Red Rock Crossing. The water is cold and welcome after a hike, but the spots are small and fill up on hot weekends.

Santa Monica eats better and with more variety. The Wednesday farmers market feeds its seasonal Californian cooking, and you will find good seafood, polished brunch and solid Italian and Japanese kitchens along Main Street and Montana Avenue, with more casual places over the line in Venice. What it lacks is the cheap immigrant food of eastern Los Angeles.

Sedona's dining is narrower: resort terraces facing the red rocks, Southwestern plates of chilli, corn and grilled meat, and plenty for vegetarians. The choice runs out after a few good meals, although tasting rooms in the Verde Valley add wine to the trip.

Neither is a sightseeing town, but Santa Monica has more within reach. The pier and its Route 66 sign, the galleries at Bergamot Station and the Art Deco buildings near the ocean fill an afternoon. The Getty Center and the Getty Villa, both a short drive away, add serious European art and ancient antiquities.

Sedona's sights in town are the Chapel of the Holy Cross, built into its butte, a heritage museum and many galleries of Western and Native American work. Its most memorable history is out in the backcountry: the Sinagua cliff dwellings at Palatki and Honanki and the petroglyphs at V Bar V.

Santa Monica offers a modest evening of wine bars and rooftop drinks around the Third Street Promenade, pubs on Main Street and a looser crowd in Venice next door, though anyone who wants clubs has to go to Hollywood. Sedona barely has a night out. There are a few brewpubs and resort lounges, the town goes to bed early because hikers are up at dawn, and the main evening show is a sky dark enough for stargazing.

Sedona has the more remarkable landscape. Red sandstone buttes and spires rise all around the town, trails lead to Cathedral Rock and Devil's Bridge and up West Fork, the slickrock draws mountain bikers, and the South Rim of the Grand Canyon is about two hours north. Summer heat means early starts.

Santa Monica is a strong outdoor base of a different kind, with mountains on one side and the sea on the other. Trails in Temescal Canyon and Topanga climb through chaparral to views over the bay. The 35km beach path is made for cycling, and there are surfing lessons, winter whale watching and dolphins seen from the shore.

Santa Monica's day trips cover more ground. You can follow the Malibu coast, drive about two hours north to Santa Barbara's mission and wine country, head south to Laguna Beach or take the ferry to Catalina. Within Los Angeles there are the Huntington Library and Hollywood. Traffic decides how much you see.

Sedona's outings are smaller and lean towards history. Jerome's old mining-town streets, the Verde Canyon Railroad from Clarkdale, Montezuma Castle and Tuzigoot are all an easy drive across the Verde Valley. Flagstaff and Walnut Canyon are further out to the north. A few days covers most of them.

Santa Monica is the easier place with children. It has a lifeguarded beach, the Ferris wheel, roller coaster, carousel and small aquarium at the pier, and a flat path for family bike rides, all in a compact town. Theme parks are a long drive away, and the visible homelessness downtown bothers some parents.

Sedona works for outdoor families for a few days. Slide Rock, the lower Bell Rock paths and jeep tours go down well with children. Beyond those there is little for them, hotels are aimed at couples, and summer heat on exposed trails calls for care.

In Santa Monica the centre is walkable, the beach path suits bikes, the blue buses cover the rest of town and the E Line light rail runs to downtown Los Angeles. You still need a car or ride-hailing for the Getty, Malibu and Hollywood.

Sedona is much harder without a car. Only Uptown is walkable, and a shuttle serves just a few of the busiest trailheads. Most visitors fly into Phoenix, about two hours away, and then drive everywhere, between parts of a spread-out town and to trailheads where parking fills early.

Santa Monica has proper shopping streets. There are chains and flagships on the Third Street Promenade, boutiques and children's shops on Montana Avenue, surf shops on Main Street and design-led stores on Abbot Kinney in Venice, and Rodeo Drive is a drive away for luxury labels.

Sedona's shopping is specialist rather than broad. The courtyards of Tlaquepaque and the galleries along the main road sell Western art and Native American jewellery, pottery and rugs, and the crystal and metaphysical shops are a draw of their own. There is no fashion shopping.

Both are expensive, so the real difference is where the money goes. In Santa Monica it goes on ocean-view hotels, restaurant bills once tax and tip are added, and parking or car hire. Free beaches, the bike path and cheap buses and light rail soften the cost.

In Sedona the costs are resort rooms, especially in spring and autumn, plus paid extras such as jeep tours, balloon flights and spa treatments. Trails cost little beyond a parking pass, and staying in Cottonwood or Flagstaff brings room costs down.

Santa Monica has more for an evening out. The Broad Stage puts on chamber music, dance and theatre, there is a long-standing folk and acoustic scene in small rooms, and the pier hosts free concerts in summer. Beyond it, Los Angeles has the Philharmonic at Walt Disney Concert Hall and the Hollywood Bowl, though each is a long drive.

Sedona has occasional events rather than a season: a few chamber concerts, local theatre, the Sedona International Film Festival in late winter, and acoustic or Native American flute sets in resorts and bars.

Sedona is built for this. Destination resorts set their spas against the red canyons, yoga, meditation, breathwork and massage are offered all over town, and sunrise walks to the vortexes set a slow, quiet rhythm under very dark night skies.

Santa Monica's version is more active: yoga on the sand, juice bars, runs along the ocean and polished hotel spas, with sunset over the bay as the daily pause. Neither town has hot springs or a bathing culture.