jeffreyalan

Hello. My wife and I are planning a brief vacation to the Raffles Resort, Canouan Island. Recently, an acquaintance who claims to have some medical knowledge told us that the water in the Grenadines is unsafe. (The person did not explicitly cite Canouan Island as having unsafe water.) This person suggested we not drink any tap water, avoid fruits unless they are peeled, etc. Has anyone who visited Canouan had any problem with the water? Is it safe to eat salads, fruits that are not peeled, etc.? Do we need to bring some of the antibiotic Cipro, just in case?

We would be most grateful to get information from any of you about this issue and to hear any suggestions you might have.

Thank you.

Becca

This will not specifically answer your question, but I contracted e. coli in Antigua. I was told the water was safe to drink, which I believe because my husband did not contract e. coli. No one warned me about raw fruits and vegetables, but I believe this is how I contracted e. coli. Every morning I ate fruit that had been sitting on the breakfast buffet, which my husband did no eat. Every afternoon I ate salad that had been sitting on the lunch buffet, which my husband also did not eat. The e. coli symptoms began after nearly a week in Antigua and worsened upon my return to the States. I ended up in the emergency room, and they prescribed cipro. If you have extra cipro on hand, I would advise to bring it along. This was a miserable experience, and I would not wish this on anyone. Just play it safe: drink bottled water and don't eat raw fruits and vegetables.

jeffreyalan

Hi, Becca. Thank you very much for your response. I'm sorry to hear about your E. coli experience. I appreciate your response and will take along some Cipro, as you suggest.

Becca

I'm sure you will have a wonderful time in Canouan - it's one of the islands on my "to do" list. It's just better to be safe than sorry, so take your precautions, and I'm sure everything will be fine. I've been to the Caribbean many, many times both before and after my experience in Antigua, and while I would not return to Antigua (due to e. coli and other reasons), I have not let this ruin my travels.

sandyjoy

Jeffrey: You will have no problems. I just returned from Raffles and they are great about distributing bottled water free of charge to guests. So, if you are worried, just stick to the bottled water. But I also drank water that served in the restaurants and at the Tamarind and had no problem. The fruits and vegetables at Raffles are well covered and prepared so have no fear. If you have any questions, ask.

curiousx

I have never seen anything suggesting that the water in the Grenadines is unsafe and lots of tourists drink it with no problems. That said, the water is very different from what we are used to and can cause stomach upsets until one is acclimatized to it. On a holiday, I personally don't want to spend any time for whatever reason, so I don't drink the water unless it has been boiled. Alternately, the local bottled water (from St, Vincent) is excellent.

I also take seriously warnings about the potential for catching hepatitis from the unsanitary preparation of salads, unpeeled fruit etc, and so have had the double shots (e.g. Twinrix) to safeguard against this possibility. Note that this risk occurs anywhere, not just the Caribbean

curiousx

First para, third sentence should read "On a holiday, I personally don't want to spend any time feeling poorly for any reason...

vinceygirl

I've been to a number of the islands in the Grenadines and have not ever had a problem with the water. Those islands include Canouan, Bequia, Mayreau, and St. Vincent. With the exception of St. Vincent I ate in restaurants but did drink the water offered, not bottled water. No problem. In St. Vincent I ate and drank in friend's private homes and have done so numerous times over the years without difficulty. Given the upscale nature of Raffles as long as you are not leaving the resort, you should be ok. If uncomfortable take some Cipro with you but this is truly not a good practice healthwise.

jeffreyalan

To all of you who so kindly replied. Thank you! jeffreyalan

PS - I just signed up for this Fodor's forum. I gather we all think it is very useful.

Becca

I have to amend my earlier post and agree with vinceygirl about the Cipro. Don't just start taking it if you get an upset stomach - it's a very strong antibiotic! I was started on the Cipro after visiting the hospital and being diagnosed with e. coli. You would know if you have e. coli versus Montezuma's revenge. Sorry about being graphic, but e. coli causes sores to build up in your intestinal tract, and then your dirarrhea becomes entirely blood. Not fun. I really don't think the water was the source of the e. coli. I was staying at a nice resort in Antigua, but I ate raw fruit and vegetables off the buffet (our only option for breakfast and lunch at this particular resort).

MSQ

To answer the question about water in the Grenadines, some of the Grenadine islands are small volcanic islands. Meaning they have no ground (well water).

In the old days all houses were built with cisterns (storage tanks) under them and rain water was collected off the roofs and other catchment areas. This water was then stored in the tanks in the warm climate for months. The result is water that one does not want to drink.

Many houses that still relly on cisterns now have uv/ro purifiers. Also desalinated water is also no more widely available. Having said that, frankly and I spend alot of time in the Grenadines, so unless I know for sure that the house/resturant/hotel has a great purification system or well I stick to bottled water and cold beer.