Hello, We leave tomorrow. We have never been to Mexico. I keep reading and hearing stories of people getting sick. The main thing I hear is to stay away from the water. If it's not bottled don't drink it. Also, stay away from salads, dairy, fresh fruit... I'm starting to get paranoid. When we go on vacation, we really enjoy going out to eat. I'm a big salad eater. I'm affraid that if I follow all theses "rules" there won't be anything left to eat. :roll: Is all this true, especially in the hotel zone? Should I really be concerned? Thanks. Michelle
don't worry....you will be fine with any fruits/veggies/water inside your resort. All of the water is purified and whatnot....and bottled water is readily available (at least at every resort/hotel I have ever been to) I think the thing that gets most people sick is the CONSTANT eating, because of the buffets....the amount of alcohol you consume....the endless days in the sun by the beach and/or pool....and your body just plain isn't use to it all. In all the times I've been...I've never gotten sick from the food, or sick period. A good rule of thumb to know if you'll get sick or not....if you easily get sick at home...you'll have a better chance of getting sick there. Take some immodium, pepto, and any other tummy meds for just in case and you should be fine !!! HAVE A WONDERFUL TRIP...and come back and give us a report when you get back!
Hi Michelle I have been to Cancun 3 times..this year will be my 4th. I'm not much of a meat eater myself and prefer salad..veggies..fruit. I have eaten the all those things from the restuarants and haven't been sick so far...I'm not saying it doesn't happen, it just hasn't happened in my experience and both myself and my girlfriend are pretty much the same for what we eat and she hasn't been sick either. As for the water..I don't reccommend you drink the tap water (others may disagree) but we've always had bottled water available to us in the mini fridges. Good luck and have a great time...I'm sure you'll love it!!! Maggie
P.S. eating at any resturant in the hotel zone you will be fine. heck, I ate roadside tacos on the highway between cancun and playa, like a blue tarp cover and a table set up and a grill thing made out of a barrel and a piece of iron laid across the top......and never got sick....man, I don't know for sure what kind of meat it was...but it was REALLY good....yum.
Inside the resorts and at the restaurants you'll be fine. I'd stick to the bottled water though, stock up at Walmart or the local convenience store. Just don't eat fruits and veggies that still have the peel/skin on them.
For a point of reference from what I eat......... When in Mexico, I eat: fruits, veggies, dairy, meat, fish and everything else that I can find. I eat at the resort, restaurants, hole in wall places, street vendors, food carts and everywhere else. As long as you are reasonably careful you should be fine. As long as hot food is cooked properly and kept hot and cold food is kept cold all will be well. Part of why I travel is to experience local food and I will not let fear of getting sick deter me. So far I have not had any problems in my travels to Mexico, the Caribbean and beyond. Part of my luck probably has to do with the fact that I dont really drink alcohol and I keep myself hydrated with plenty of water. Quite a few cases of the Montezumas Revenge can be attributed to overindulgence in booze, sun and lack of hydration.
Go for it 2 weeks til our 9th trip. Bottled water always for us. We've eaten all over Cancun and Isla Mujeres and have never gotten sick. If you go to El Cajas in Market 28, one of the salsas will kill anything that might make you sick :lol: Jimmy
Listen to what Don and Maggie tell you. Eating at the restaraunts may be safer than in the US, ice at the hotels and restaraunts is OK (although I prefer to make my own ice from bottled water), fresh and vendor items entail risk, and stick with bottled water - no matter what else you hear here that may be contradictory. It's not (anywhere near) as bad as it used to be - but it's also not like some of the AI'ers wish it was. You can become ill from drinking the water in a different city than you live in today, so why take chances at $300 per day? Lastly - something I didn't see in this thread and I find it works exceedingly well - get (and take) those chewable Acidopholous tablets. They're full of good germs which just about completely displace any bad germs you may ingest. Wayyy better (and better for you) than having to take Immodium or even Pepto. (Although to be prudent, it wouldn't hurt to have a small amount of each with you, just to make sure that you won't need it.)
I've lived here 4 years and have never gotten sick unless you count times involving tequila... I barely eat meat, and eat many salads out in restaurants. I'm careful where I do it though. If you are eating from a taco stand in the street it's best to stick to well-cooked foods, if you are eating somewhere decent you should be alright with some raw foods. One trick is to use lime juice on your food, it's a natural antibacterial and every restaurant serves lime wedges. I'm sure the heavy use of lime juice here is part of why Mexicans don't get sick much. My experience in Cancun is that the tap water is not polluted, instead it's very hard and very full of chlorine. The poor people I know here who do drink their tap water (when they are lucky enough to have running water in the house) seem to get a lot of kidney stones due to how hard the water is. Before moving here I got a Hep A shot which gave me some confidence when eating out. But I've never been sick here and I have a pretty sensitive stomach.
Really good idea. If you haven't already gotten the Hep A shot I have heard that you can still get it up to two weeks after you get back and still be protected (but I'm not a Dr. and I didn't hear that specifically from a Dr. so I wouldn't count on it without confirming it). I totally understand your concern, I'm not worried about the water because we only drink bottled water even at home, but we eat a lot of raw veggies and fresh fruit also. I have been to Cancun 8 times, the three times I didn't take Batrim DS before and during my trip I got really sick...but I am very susceptible to getting sick even in different US regions outside of my home. My Dr. refuses to give me a script for Batrim. I could get it on my own but understand her reason and have decided to try the Acidopholous tablets. I hope this will be the answer for me. Good luck, I too would love to here about your experience when you return. Thanks, Alice
