STJ Off The Beaten Track vs. STj: FF&FWD

[riley1319]

I'm getting ready to buy a travel guide and I'm wondering what the core differences are between these two books? I'd prefer to buy one of them.

Thanks!

[tipsy]

FF &4wheel drive has lots of up-to-date info and very humorous ancedotes about the island & people plus very informative about the island beaches etc.

OTB is similar but has gorgeous pics to go with the chapters.

We have both and can't honestly say which is better. Like both of them for diff. reasons.

[Diana2]

I totally agree with tipsy. I have them both and like them both but if I had to pick just one, I'd get FF & FWD.

[Kentuckygirl]

I feel like I'm being repetitive, but I like FF&FWD for the information and OTBT for the pics.

[toes in the sand]

I can only speak towards Off the Beaten Path. I love our copy. It is well organized, the details and directions are clear and accurate. It contains local history and lore, directions and descriptions of beaches, snorkels, hikes, flora and fauna and at least a few places that you might pass by without having read the book.
If you would like to see some of what you will find in OTBP try this site.
http://seestjohn.com/
The site is mostly exerpted from the guidebook. The author Gerald Singer writes the blog on seestjohn.com.

[Lovermont]

While I think both of those books are great, and I travel with both (and loan them out to friends who go to STJ) the resource that my DH and I use above all is the Trail Bandit Map. http://trailbandit.org/
The first time I was on STJ, we were hiking the L'Esperance Trail, when the Trail Bandit himself came out of the brush with a machete! I was so excited to run into him and talk to him about all the great hiking to be done.
This topic has reminded me that I must get those books into the mail this week for a friend of mine from South Carolina who'll be a newbie later this month.

Lovermont