Mexico Water Question
 

Ok... so I have never been to mexico, Going in 2 weeks and saying at one of the Riu Hotels in Riviera Maya.

I have head such horror stories about the water in Mexico. people tell me, oh, dont order anything with ice. Do I have to be careful or do all the resorts purify thier water.. or do I need to ask them that? I have no clue!

Thanks!

I have not had any problems with resorts and their food or water. If there were such a huge problem they would lose a whole lot of business. That being said, do not drink water from the tap or use that water to brush your teeth or to rinse your toothbrush. If you see food that has been sitting out for a long period of time I would avoid it just as I would avoid it here. I do have drinks with ice and drink bottled water. Many people get sick at AI's because they over indulge with foods they are not used to and drink heavily. Any shock to the system that way would cause difficulties.

I drink bottled water in Mexico. It is very common and will not be a problem to find.

Bars and restaurants get their ice delivered, it is premade using purified water.

I don't drink from the tap myself, even in a hotel with a purified system, but that's a personal choice.

I think food is where you need to be more aware, honestly.

p.s. I'm gonna take a wild guess that whoever is telling you not to order anything with ice... has never been to Mexico, right?
;-)

Thanks so much for your opinions!

Regarding the food.... what do you mean?

Thanks!

Sometimes at the AI's especially for lunch when it's hot out the food sits around for awhile....at least that's what I meant. I eat in town all the time and have never had a problem but others have guessing from some of the conversations here over the years. I dont' eat weird things or uncooked foods that should be cooked. I peel my fruit, eat my yogurt and limes every day, and enjoy.

Food handling, food preparation, being aware of what you are eating,etc. Some people choose to skip salads, raw vegetables, fruits that can't be peeled in Mexico, for example.

Point being, the dreaded "tourista" comes more likely from food than from water or ice in a cocktail.

Way back in the day, you did not want to have ice in Mexico. I remember a Mexicana flight a long, long time ago when the fight atendant siad "ahh gringo, you don't want the ice." Much has changed since then. Ice is fine in any reputable place. You don't want to drink tapwater unless you know a place has a purification system. Mexicans that can afford it don't drink anything but purified water at home. So, a reputable place have your drinks, you still want bottled water unless you nkow there is purification system.

Ah, yes, the old Mexicana flights. I took one to Acapulco 30 years ago. The flight attendants were putting some of the seats together when we boarded. What fun...

Solve the problem simply by drinking nothing but beer! They make some lovely ones in Mexico.

:-)

beer- its not just for breakfast anymore- problem solved!

Have travelled to Mexico for 40 years. Sometimes, we've been lucky, but in the years my family has travelled there, my daughter has had typhoid (yes she did have the vaccination prior), my husband contracted shighella (very dangerous form of dystentary) and I have had amoebic dysentary 3 times. This is besides the general turista that we've experienced at times. The more you travel there, the more likely you are to get sick, so our doctor finally told us to take a prescription of cipro with us just in case, and to take it twice a day for three days when we get the tell-tale symptoms of something serious. Wish we didn't know what these are -- throbbing headache (sometimes causing blackouts), fever, intestinal pain/etc, nausea/vomiting... You can purchase cipro at a pharmacy there without a prescription but should talk to your doctor before you travel and/or get the advice of a pharmacist or a doctor in Mexico(clinics are easily found). My advice would be to not let an obvious illness get worse thinking it is a simple case of turista. If intestinal problems are also associated with fever, very bad headache or swelling of the abdominal area, seek medical help. Once dystenary or typhoid sets in, it is tough to get better with simple antibiotics.
Unfortunately, water isn't the only problem as dysentary can be transmitted by food handlers, etc.
I'm not recommending fear or whatever, but if you get ill, deal with it quickly.

ALl major hotels and resorts in the Cancun/PDC area used purified water. The AIs usually have free bottled water for guests. I still wouldn't drink tap water, even at the hotel, but most food is perfectly safe. We ate all over PDC and had no problems at all with food, ice, etc.

To be safe you can take a little pepto bismal before each meal, but you probably won't even need it.

For RM above- have you had all these ailments as a tourist or have you been doing some type of work in rural areas? I am not sure I would go back with the list of ailments you state. In 20 years and 50+ trips there(you got 20 years on me) I have been sick one time with TD. Just curious where you have been-

Wow, I also would be curious to hear more details from RMAnthony. I have never heard of anything like that story, from people visiting in the popular tourist destination areas of Mexico.

Well, I can tell a tale. This was a few years ago, but it could still happen. We checked into a reasonably nice hotel in the center of Guanajuato, just by the square. On the plate glass dresser top was an inviting carafe of water, and some glasses. Under the glass top was a notice that the hotel supplied filtered water that was, of course, safe to drink.

My wife was very thirsty, and drank several glasses before we went to see the mummies. By the time we got back to the room, she was turning white, and was soon swapping ends on the porcelain throne. She became really ill, and I got worried that she was getting her electrolytes out of balance. I went to a pharmacy and got the proper fluids for her to drink, and then got her to a local doctor.

We were puzzled as to what could have caused the sudden onset, because neither of us had eaten anything, and the only fluids she had taken was from that carafe of water.

I went to the desk to ask about the water, and the clerk calmly told me, "Oh, Senor, that water treatment machine hasn't worked for a long, long time. Maybe we should change the sign."

Beer and soft drinks only from then on!

:-(

I am in the process of booking a trip to PDC for late June. Never have been to Mexico. I have 2 kids boy,11 & girl,7 and would love to have a 2 bed condo for my sanity during the week, but have heard its better to stay in a AI resort to avoid food issues. Is is safe to go out to eat at other places? My husband would prefer not to be locked into a resort food plan, but we do not want to get sick either.
Any feedback would be great. THANKS!!

There are no guarantees. You can get sick (or not) just as easily at an all-inclusive resort same as a restaurant in town. There is no magic guarantee about an "all inclusive" being more safe. If anything, the level of resort that uses mostly buffet style service, could be more iffy, imo.

IMO, and I'm just back from trip #6 to PDC, there is MORE risk of contracting food borne illness in the AI's than off the vendor carts by the bus station.
I'm not confident of stuff that sits on a steam table all day and would much rather eat something thats prepared and grilled fresh.

There are literally hundreds of fabulous restaurants in PDC dozens of which I've eaten in and not had a problem. It's one of the real joys in Mexico and PDC in particular is the freshness and variety of amazing cuisines.

don't worry; never had kids or adult get sick, ever, and eaten everywhere on the Mayan riviera.