the water in most places in the vi is rain water collected on roofs and stored in cisterns or water holding tanks. for the most part its safe to drink but i do recomend bottled water

Landwoman, Do you drink cistern water now? If not, your body is not accustom to what may be in it, why take a chance on ruining your vacation. I would plan on drinking bottled water. PS This I know from experience.

Is the ice safe?

We use the water for ice and to wash dishes and have never had any problems. Mostly the ice is used to make boat drinks and for beer coolers though (maybe the alcohol kills anything in the ice, Ha)

Landwoman:

It depends where you are staying. The more expensive properties have good filtration/purification systems. Our property has its own reverse osmosis plant. Our water on STT is probably better than what we have on the mainland. We drink the water out of the tap and have never had a problem.

However, I must admit we do buy some bottled water. We freeze the plastic bottles of water and bring them to the beach for use there.

F.I.

Hello landwoman,

I think based on you asking about the ice that you are thinking of the water warnings of Mexico... ie. don't eat any fruits that may have been washed with water, don't eat salads, no ice in drinks, no water in restaurants, use bottled water to brush your teeth... drink a couple shots of tequila after every meal to kill anythink you might have consumed... or at least that was my brother-in-law's suggestion when I headed to Mexico a couple years back.

Anyhow; no similar warnings for the VI; you can eat salads, ice in drinks etc. In terms of drinking tap water at your accommodation - ask the resort or villa agency/owner what the status is on the water. I'd second the suggestion of buying some bottles of water for drinking while on the go at the beach, hiking and also maybe at your accommodation depending on what you find out about the filtration system. If you have a very sensitive stomach you might stick to bottled water.

Do drink plenty of water though, its easy to get dehydrated while on the beach or hiking around in 85 degree temps.

--Islander

Water was not one of my concerns before I visited STJ and I'm...well, not REALLY chintzy but perhaps...fiscally conservative?
And I don't buy bottled water at home, watever comes out of the tap is fine for me. I stayed at Concordia and before we went out and about each day, I filled two Nalgene bottles with water right out of the faucet and didn't have any problems at all! And Islander is right, most people don't drink enough water and deyhydration CAN be a serious problem!

landwoman,

Tap water on island is generally safe to drink. Some people who rent their homes out have found that renters are not as careful with the water as residents tend to be and when a home's cistern runs out it is usually filled with desalinated water. Desalinated water is safe to drink but some people think it is an acquired taste.