Drinking frozen drinks or ice in Mexico

alannascott80

I have heard mixed things here, so I am wondering: fiance' and I are traveling to Puerto Vallarta and Yelapa for our hm, and I know that we should only drink bottled water, but what about frozen drinks? They are blended with ice, but do you ask if the ice was bagged to make sure. Wouldn't that be rude? Is the bagged ice going to be safe? I know it's going to be hot there, so I'm really hoping we can have iced water/ drinks!

[Deleted User]

We were just in Cancun 2 months ago (other side from where you will be, I know). We drank right from the tap water with no issues (this was actually our second time in Cancun). As long as its on the resort you're fine. The resorts have filtration systems. When in doubt, just ask. i dont think anyone would be offended as im sure they've had the question asked a million times. Off the resort however, always drink only bottled water and yes, ask if ice is safe. Also, make sure to bring immodium ad with you...just in case.

alannascott80

Thanks. I just picked up some Immodium this morning just in case. We won't be staying at any resorts..we wanted to really be immersed in the culture. But, not in any diseases!  Good tip on the veggie washing!

alithebride

i've been 11 times to cancun/rm. ice/drinks in those areas are generalyl ok-hell i drink the tap water at our timeshare place. but when in doubt dont have a frozen drink, get a bottled beer and rinse the mouth area with fresh water.

eat only fruit that you can peel.

i know people every year who go and drink in the sun and then get sick and blame the lettuce......LOL

winelover123

Be careful around fruits too - a good idea is to not eat a fruit unless it's been peeled so you don't get sick if it's been washed in unsafe water. This advice comes from a trip to India where a friend got sick after eating an apple that had been washed in tap water. Brush your teeth using bottled water too if you're unsure.

alannascott80

Wow, really makes me grateful to live where the water is safe to drink and fruit peels safe to eat. If you don't count pesticides I guess.

freebread03

alannascott80 said:

Wow, really makes me grateful to live where the water is safe to drink and fruit peels safe to eat. If you don't count pesticides I guess.

Its not like we live in a safe place and Mexicans don't-its that our filtration systems and the way we cleanse the water here is different from how they do it there, so our American stomachs become irritated by things that someone who lives in Mexico wouldn't be bothered by.

dazyabbey

CMGr said:

Changes in water can make you temporarily sick anywhere.  Many foreigners get sick when they come to the USA, and blame our water!  It's not like you're going to get cholera by drinking Mexican water.  Just a bad case of the runs.

This! I always have stomach issues when going to another country and when I get back.

erika610

When we went to Mexico, we found that if the ice was round, it was made from filtered water. No one will be offended if you ask if the water is filtered, but if you don't want to, just order a soda or something with ice on the side. If it's rounded, you're good. I thought that was strange but very helpful! Steer clear of salads off the resort, though. You should be fine otherwise. 

muenginerd

Liatris2010 said:

When we were in Mexico all of the water on the resort was filtered, so tap water in our room, ice, and everything else were all fine. We only went off resort with a tour and they everything they gave us was fine too. In both those situations, we were explicitly told everything was filtered and it would be fine. If you're in doubt, in addition to ice, be careful of fresh veggies that will have been washed in the water. I've heard of people getting sick from things like lettuce before.

Out of the resort area this is very true.  I ended up with a bad case of e coli from one piece of lettuce on a burger during a work trip to the Dominican Republic.

Check with your resort, but as long as it's a larger resort you should be fine drinking water, ice, using water to shower and brush teeth, etc.  We've traveled to cancun plenty and never had problems with water and ice at the resort or in the immeadiate resort area bars/restaurants.  When taking a trip to ruins or rural areas then we use bottled water/soda/beer, and no ice.

If it's anything to be concerned about also ask your doctor for a perscription of Cipro to take with you.  It's a great broad spectrum antibiotic we travel with to foreign countires.  Start it if you begin to feel ill and it quickly wipes out anything you might have caught.