Drinking the Water in China

[MalibuCA]

I have researched these boards to determine whether or not it is safe to drink the water in China. Unfortunately, most of the discussion on the subject is from a few years ago. I was wondering whether changes have been made and whether it is safe now to drink the tap water or whether I should stick to only bottled water. We are staying at the Peninsula in Hong Kong and the Shangri-La in Beijing. Is the hotel tap water safe or should we use only bottled? We will otherwise be on our ship, but what should we do when we are off the ship sightseeing? Please advise conservatively -- I don't want to take ANY chance that the water will not agree with my stomach. Does the old rule of "Don't Drink the Water" still hold, or has the situation improved over the years?

 

Thanks for the help.

 

Shelley

[celle]

I have researched these boards to determine whether or not it is safe to drink the water in China. Unfortunately, most of the discussion on the subject is from a few years ago. I was wondering whether changes have been made and whether it is safe now to drink the tap water or whether I should stick to only bottled water. We are staying at the Peninsula in Hong Kong and the Shangri-La in Beijing. Is the hotel tap water safe or should we use only bottled? We will otherwise be on our ship, but what should we do when we are off the ship sightseeing? Please advise conservatively -- I don't want to take ANY chance that the water will not agree with my stomach. Does the old rule of "Don't Drink the Water" still hold, or has the situation improved over the years?

 

Thanks for the help.

 

Shelley

 

We played safe and only drank bottled water last year. We even used bottled water to clean our teeth. Maybe we were being extra cautious, but we didn't want to take any chances. Neither of us got sick.

 

By the way, watch out for people re-cycling your empty water bottles and re-filling them! Always check that the cap on your bottle has not previously been opened.

 

I hope you enjoy Hong Kong and Beijing - we did!

[Sandy R]

We always use bottled water when traveling outside the U.S. and Canada. Just a tip... when ordering bottle water in a restaurant out of the country, we ask the waiter to allow us to open the bottle. The nice thing about traveling by ship... you can buy bottled water on the ship and know it's safe. We buy the small bottles and take them with us when sightseeing. My DH kids me that our biggest purchase on the ship is always bottled water. I would think the Peninsula in Hong Kong and the Shangri-La in Beijing will either provide you with bottled water or have it available for purchase. I would still want to open the bottle myself.

[mking8288]

I would stick to only bottled water from reliable distributors in China, check the content labels carefully as to its source/origin. Otherwise, get it boiled first - also, watch out for those ice cubes in bar/soda drinks !!

 

Water standards in Hong Kong are much stricter & do meet/exceed WHO standards. Locals still prefer to boil tap water first (purified salt water from sea/imported mainland sources) and then let it cool before drinking - the Peninsula gets it water from the same public water system of pipes & plumbings, and I doubt they do any special filtration of their own.

 

Local supermarkets, 7-11's and drug stores like Watson's sell many brands of popular bottled water and they aren't expensive - I would do it for extra peace of mind as lately, Noro-virus is getting around & all over.

[greatam]

I just spent 11 weeks on a business trip including multiple trips between the Mid East/Asia. I go to China, Vietnam and Cambodia frequently for business. I NEVER trust the water, no matter the hotel.

 

I even use bottled water to brush my teeth. I just think a little bit of extra hassle is worth not getting sick. I basically have a cast iron stomach but don't eat street food and don't drink tap water. Depending on the restaurant/hotel, I will drink iced drinks but only in top of the line, "westernized" hotels.

 

Most 4* and above hotels provide bottled water in Asia/the Mid East free. If it wasn't free, I would feel OK to drink the tap water. But most European/American hotels CHARGE for water, so when it is free, I believe it is there because it is NEEDED.

 

As someone pointed out, CHECK the water bottle and seal you buy in the street. Refilling bottles with tap water is common practice in a lot of Asia.

[MalibuCA]

Thanks, everyone for your help. We will definitely drink only bottled water and only from bottles that we break the seal. Nothing would be worse than getting sick because of the water! I appreciate the advice. We are off to China, aka "evian-ville!!!!!"

 

 

Shelley

[Maui Cruiser]

The hotels in both places should leave bottled water in your room. We stayed at the Four Seasons in Shanghai and a Marriott resort in Beijing and both left 4-6 bottles of bottled water everyday. We did use tap water to brush our teeth and no one got sick, I just stuck to a beer or 2 when we ate out. It would be a good idea to take bottled water from the ship once you are on your cruise.

 

Some friends of ours were living in Shanhai when we went and they told us not to eat cold dishes, not even cold vegetables!! One of them went to the hospital 2 or 3 times for food poisoning and they are Chinese. We had no problems and the food was great! Especially the Peking duck!!

[Philip217]

I lived in Hong Kong and China for many years.

Didn't make a habit of drinking tap water in either place. It didn't taste very good.

But I used it for everything else; making ice, cooking, tea, tooth brushing, etc. Never had any problems.

[BCHappyGal]

We toured China this past May and the hotels advised "no tap water" only bottled water and supplied same. On our day tours our guide always had a supply of bottled water for us.

[suekay]

I'm usually so careful about not drinking the water/eating street food when travelling, but got sick in Delhi when we called into McDonalds and I had a diet Coke. I never gave it a thought ,but of course they must use local water to make up the fountain soda:o

[Moeve]

Bottled water only - all the hotels we stayed in actually supplied such complementary.

[mab1]

Regarding always opening the bottle yourself to ensure it wasn't refilled--In Slumdog Millionaire, there was a scene where the one brother fills a water bottle with tap water then uses Crazy Glue to "reseal" it.

 

I'm thinking that its wiser to order sparkling water -- If it fizzes, its not tap water.

[Aussie Gal]

We have just returned from 2 weeks in China after doing a 14 day cruise around North East Asia.

 

We stayed in Beijing, Xian, Guilin, Yanshou and Shanghai and were provided with bottled water at all of our hotels. We never drink anything but the bottled water and we always brush our teeth with the bottled water.

 

We have been travelling in Asia for many years, since the 1970's and we have never been sick. Also, do not eat lettuce or tomatoes or anything that has not been cooked or peeled.

 

Jennie

[Palmetto Lady]

I understand about brushing one's teeth with bottled water, but do you also rinse your bush with bottled water. I can understand why one would do so, but how do you get your brush fully rinsed?

[paul929207]

I understand about brushing one's teeth with bottled water, but do you also rinse your bush with bottled water. I can understand why one would do so, but how do you get your brush fully rinsed?

You are not going to get the brush well rinsed pouring bottled water over it or even pouring the water into a glass and swishing around the brush, but it is better than nothing and much better than getting sick on vacation.

[Palmetto Lady]

You are not going to get the brush well rinsed pouring bottled water over it or even pouring the water into a glass and swishing around the brush, but it is better than nothing and much better than getting sick on vacation.

 

I figured that was probably the case, but hoped that someone would have a magic answer. We use bottled water only when it is necessary - Third World countries. Otherwise we feel it is a ripoff especially when you need to buy it from the hotel. In Istanbul, I lugged a gallon of water from the market to the hotel, but fortunately it lasted for the three days we were there. (My husband uses treking poles for walking, so it was up to me to carry the water.)

 

We never use bottled water in Western and Central Europe unless specifically advised. I was only sick in France - not from the water, but from the salad - an unsanitary restaurant.

[newfarmers]

I brushed my teeth and rinsed my mouth with tap water in Shanghai for the three days we were there (my partner didn't though). I came away with no ill effects. We both ate fruit and all sorts of other stuff from street stalls (people off the ship saw us on a couple of occasions and were shocked) the whole three weeks we were in SE Asia and our tummies survived with nary a gurgle

 

same in Thailand for two weeks a couple of years back,

always used the tap water to clean my teeth and rinse my mouth (excpet on Phi Phi where it was salty)

 

it's a bit like stopping kids from playing in dirt and living in an over-sanitised world. How many kids are constantly sick these days when we just didn't have the same problems as we grew up. no bike helmets, or shin and kneww guards, those days were FUN!!!

 

our reckoning is if you don't give your stomachs a chance to acclimatise just a little, if you do get a bug, it's going to hit you far worse

[ROCruiser]

Most hotels will have an electric tea-kettle in the room. If you are concern about not enough bottled water, just boil some water and leave it out overnight to cool.

We have never had any problem using tap water to brush our teeth but always drink bottled water or boiled water.