Seattle or Sun Valley?

Neither is a beach destination, but Seattle at least has a shoreline. Alki Beach and Golden Gardens have sand, bonfires and sunsets over the Olympics. In July and August the lifeguarded beaches on Lake Washington give you a proper swim without leaving the city.

Sun Valley has no coast at all. Summer swimming means a cold mountain lake such as Redfish, an hour's drive away, or the resort's heated outdoor pools.

Seattle has real regional food: oysters, wild salmon and Dungeness crab, serious coffee and Washington wines. The Chinatown-International District adds strong Vietnamese, Chinese and Korean cooking. Pike Place Market alone can fill a morning of eating.

In Sun Valley, eating out mostly happens in Ketchum. A handful of ambitious kitchens cook Idaho trout, lamb and elk, alongside pizza places and après-ski grills. That is good for a small resort town, but there is little variety, no cheap street food and less choice in the quiet seasons.

Seattle's sights are modern rather than historic, but there are enough for two or three days. Seattle Center has the Space Needle, the Chihuly glass and the Museum of Pop Culture. Add the Seattle Art Museum, the Burke Museum's Northwest Coast collections and the huge Museum of Flight.

Sun Valley's story is short and specific. The railroad built the resort in 1936 with the world's first chairlifts, the lodge's corridors are lined with photos of film stars, and Hemingway is buried in Ketchum. An afternoon covers it, so culture here is a side note rather than something to plan around.

Seattle has a proper night out on Capitol Hill, where Pike and Pine streets fill with cocktail bars, dive bars and dance floors. Ballard has brewery taprooms and Belltown draws a younger club crowd. Bars close at 2am, but there is choice every night of the week.

In Sun Valley, going out means après-ski in Ketchum's saloons, wine bars and hotel lounges, which get livelier on winter weekends. There are no clubs, and outside the main seasons most nights end soon after dinner.

Both are superb for the outdoors, in different ways. Seattle mixes water and mountains: kayaking on Lake Union, ferries where you may see orcas, and Discovery Park inside the city. Mount Rainier's glaciers and the Olympic rainforest are both within a day's reach, though you need to drive.

Sun Valley has the mountains on its doorstep. Bald Mountain rises straight out of Ketchum, and its slopes become mountain-bike trails in summer. Fly fishing on Silver Creek, the Sawtooth lakes and rafting on the Salmon River are all close. Sun Valley puts you deeper in the outdoors, while Seattle gives you more different kinds of outdoors.

The best days out from Seattle start on the water. Half an hour across the Sound brings you to Bainbridge Island's harbour town and wineries, and longer crossings reach the farm villages of Whidbey Island and the Victorian seaport of Port Townsend. By road, the Woodinville tasting rooms are about half an hour away and Tacoma's Museum of Glass about an hour. Vancouver and Victoria are better saved for an overnight stay.

Around Sun Valley you visit landscapes rather than towns. The main stops are Hailey's old main street and the log-cabin outpost of Stanley, and Shoshone Falls is about two hours south. Most days out simply head further into the mountains.

Seattle gives children more to do in any weather. There is Woodland Park Zoo, the aquarium on the waterfront, the Pacific Science Center and the aircraft at the Museum of Flight. On dry days, lake beaches and ferry rides add more. The steep streets and wet winters are the main drawbacks.

Sun Valley works well for families who ski or cycle. It has a gentle beginners' hill, a well-run ski school and quiet, safe streets in Ketchum. Beyond that there is no zoo or aquarium, rainy days are hard to fill, and teenagers who don't ski may find it dull.

Sun Valley has nothing like Seattle's light rail, which takes you from the airport straight into downtown. Link continues to Capitol Hill and the University District, and one tap card also covers buses, streetcars, the monorail and water taxis. The centre is easy to walk if you don't mind some hills. Buses out to Ballard or Alki are slower, and you need a car for the national parks.

In Sun Valley it is easy to get around as long as you stay in the resort. Ketchum is flat enough to walk, a free bus runs to the lift bases and a bike path follows the valley, so many visitors spend a ski week without driving. Beyond that, you need a car for the trailheads, hot springs and the Sawtooths, and the bigger airports are a long drive away.

Seattle spreads its shopping across whole neighbourhoods, while Sun Valley's fits into a few blocks of Ketchum. In Seattle, Capitol Hill has vintage clothes and record shops, Fremont has independent boutiques and a Sunday market, and Ballard has design shops.

Downtown adds department stores and large outdoor gear stores, Pike Place has makers' stalls, and for luxury you cross the lake to the malls in Bellevue.\n\nKetchum's few blocks have fine art and western art galleries, ski and fly-fishing shops, and boutiques selling cashmere and western wear to second-home owners. That is enough for an evening gallery walk or for buying gear before a day on the river, but not for a whole day of browsing.

Neither is cheap, but Seattle gives budget travellers more ways to save. Light rail and buses mean you can skip a car. Teriyaki shops, food halls and the Pike Place counters are cheaper places to eat, and rooms in outer neighbourhoods near the stations cost less.

In Sun Valley, a wealthy second-home community sets the cost of rooms, meals and lift access, and there is little budget lodging. Staying further down the valley and coming in spring or autumn help, but it remains the more expensive trip.

Seattle has a full programme all year. Seattle Opera and Pacific Northwest Ballet share McCaw Hall, the symphony plays at Benaroya Hall, and the 5th Avenue and the Paramount put on musicals. The rock tradition goes back to Hendrix and grunge, and bands play on Capitol Hill, in Belltown and in Ballard most nights.

Sun Valley's best performances come in summer. At the music festival, a professional orchestra plays free concerts in a pavilion by the lodge, and figure skaters perform on the outdoor rink. Outside summer there is very little on.

Sun Valley is the better place to unwind. Resort spas and steaming outdoor pools are part of a stay, and they are especially good under falling snow. Up the Warm Springs valley there are rough natural hot springs beside the creek.

Seattle has hotel spas downtown and Korean-style bathhouses in the suburbs, and the nearest hot springs are a long drive. Its rest is quieter and comes from city life: long mornings in coffee houses and walks in the Japanese Garden and the Arboretum.