Scottsdale or South Lake Tahoe?

Neither city is on the sea, but South Lake Tahoe has a real lake shore on its doorstep. Pope, Baldwin and Kiva beaches lie under the pines, Zephyr Cove is just across the state line and the boulder coves of Sand Harbor are round the east shore, all with clear water over white sand. The catch is the cold, so swimming is for July and August.

In Scottsdale, water time means the resort pool. Saguaro and Canyon lakes, or a tube float down the Salt River, are outings by car. They are pleasant, but they don't compare with a day on Tahoe's sand.

Scottsdale eats better, though neither is a place to travel to for food. Old Town's steakhouses, patio grills and long brunches are well done, and Sonoran Mexican cooking, with carne asada and plate-sized flour tortillas, gives the area a local flavour, with Phoenix close by for more.

South Lake Tahoe's meals are mostly fuel: casino buffets, brewpubs, taquerias and skiers' breakfasts along Highway 50. Local craft beer is the highlight, and a cabin kitchen is often the more reliable option.

Scottsdale has more to see. Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin West, part of a UNESCO listing, leads a list that also includes a museum of western art and history, a small contemporary art museum and many galleries, with the Heard Museum and the Musical Instrument Museum a short drive away. South Lake Tahoe's sights come down to the lakeside estates at the Tallac Historic Site, Vikingsholm at Emerald Bay and a small history museum, which together fill a morning.

Scottsdale has a proper district for going out. A few blocks of Old Town hold patio bars, rooftop lounges and dance clubs that fill up at weekends and in spring, loud and dressed-up until 2am, with quieter cocktail bars around the edges.

South Lake Tahoe offers much less choice. Its late nights belong to the casino bars at Stateline, while the California side sticks to brewpubs and après-ski at the gondola base before an early start.

This is where South Lake Tahoe pulls well ahead. Granite peaks ring a deep blue lake, and Emerald Bay, the lake basins of the Desolation Wilderness and the Tahoe Rim Trail give summer hiking, biking and paddling. Winter adds deep snow and skiing at Heavenly, Kirkwood and Sierra-at-Tahoe.

Scottsdale's desert is a fine setting in its own right, with saguaro trails in the McDowell Sonoran Preserve, steep climbs up Camelback Mountain and wild horses along the Salt River. But the summer heat limits it to dawn outings, and the range of landscapes is narrower.

Both have a similar choice of outings, but with different themes. From Scottsdale the main draw is Sedona's red rock about two hours north, with the cliff dwelling at Montezuma Castle and the mining town of Jerome on the way. Tucson lies to the south, and the Grand Canyon works as an overnight trip.

South Lake Tahoe's outings are about the Gold Rush and the silver boom: Virginia City's boardwalks, Genoa, Coloma and the Amador wine country, with Reno for a bigger town. These are best kept for a day of bad weather rather than planned around.

Families do about equally well, in different ways. Scottsdale offers a resort vacation, with lazy rivers and kids' clubs, miniature trains at McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park, and the OdySea Aquarium and Butterfly Wonderland. The midday heat in summer keeps everyone indoors or in the water.

South Lake Tahoe is an outdoor vacation, with shallow lake beaches and bike paths in summer, and ski schools and sledding hills in winter. There is no zoo or aquarium for a snowbound day, and the casino strip is not a place to linger with children.

Both need a car, but South Lake Tahoe is a little easier without one. Its core around Stateline is compact enough to walk, and in winter free shuttles run along the highway and up to the ski areas. Summer weekend traffic and winter chain controls take patience.

Scottsdale is a long, narrow city of wide roads that the light rail does not reach. Apart from Old Town and its free trolley, everything means driving, which is at least simple on its grid.

Scottsdale is the shopping destination of the two by a wide margin. Its big Scottsdale Road mall has the fashion houses and department stores, and Old Town's galleries and shops sell southwestern art, turquoise and cowboy boots. In South Lake Tahoe, shopping supports the trip rather than being part of it: ski rentals, outdoor gear, a supermarket run and souvenirs by the gondola.

Both are expensive when most people want to go, and the savings come from timing. Scottsdale's resorts drop their rates sharply in the hot summer, and motels, Mexican food and free desert hiking help a tight budget.

At South Lake Tahoe, the cheaper times are midweek and the spring and autumn shoulder seasons, when the Nevada casino hotels discount. Lift tickets stay steep, and a cabin with a kitchen cuts the cost of meals.

Scottsdale has more to offer in the evenings, much of it thanks to its neighbours. Its own arts centre in Old Town hosts chamber music, jazz and dance, the Musical Instrument Museum's theatre has world music, and Phoenix has the symphony, Arizona Opera and Ballet Arizona.

South Lake Tahoe depends on casino showrooms for touring rock and comedy. Summer adds concerts at the Tallac estates and Shakespeare on the beach at Sand Harbor.

Scottsdale is built for this. Large resort spas with desert treatments, outdoor pools and day access, plus yoga retreats and dry, sunny air, make pampering a reason to come, though a polished and costly one.

South Lake Tahoe's spas belong to ski lodges and casino hotels, and its restful side is the quiet by the lake and the cabins in the pines. It does have something Scottsdale lacks: natural hot springs, at Grover Hot Springs and in the Carson Valley, both within an hour.