Playa del Carmen Travel Forum

Since many people say it is safer to drink bottled water rather than tap water, what about having ice cubes in coctails? Is that not safe?

Don't worry about that!! We had many many cocktails and no reported problems!! I think we even had a few sips of the tap water with no resulting problem!

I would still recommend to drink bottled water, but don't worry about ice cubes.

P.S. You must try the cocktails at the Pirate Bar (see my VT page) - divine cocktails, friendly barmen, and swings at the bar instead of bar stools!! :-)

If you are drinking at a place that caters to Americans, they will use bottled water to make icecubes. Establishments cannot risk tourists getting sick as nobody would return to their restaurant/bar.

If you are planning on going further afield and visiting restaurants that cater primarily to Mexicans, I would get the Hepatitis A vaccination before leaving (it needs to be done a month before or more). Hep A can be caught from badly prepared food or water/ice cubes.

In a big Cancun hotel, I'd say ice cubes are safe (though I did get ill in a 4 star hotel in Dominican Republic catering for tourists!!). But otherwise, I'd really avoid ice cubes. The rule is: cook it, peel it or forget it! Montezuma's revenge is not a plesant addition to an otherwise fantastic holiday in Mexico!

Oh and if I may add, I've been to Mexico 5 times and never been sick, but last year my boyfriend ordered french fries in a typical mexican restaurant in Chiapas. When in Rome, do like the romans.. Mexicans will cook mexican food best, and I think it's probably safer to stick to that than try and order american food in a rural restaurant.

We've spent a couple of months (over two years) in the Yucatan - and none of it near Playa or Cancun. I decided that I was not going to avoid all Mexican restaurants, so we have eaten from all sorts of hole-in-the-wall restaurants, and our usual drink is a Margarita which involves crushed ice.

Once in two months I had Montezuma's revenge (and it wasn't much fun for 36 hours), but we believe that when in Rome, do as the Romans do, so I would do it that way again. But unless you confine yourself to eating at American style restaurants in the Cancun/Playa de Carmen area, I would still get the Hepatitis A vaccine. Unlike Montezuma's revenge which is short-term pain, Hepatitis is liver disease which can affect you the rest of your life.

It is safe. Ice cubes are made with purified water