tommyleo

I am getting extremely conflicting reports about the tap water in Hong Kong. Two friends -- one has lived there for decades, the other does a lot of business there -- both tell me that the water is fine for drinking. However, I contacted my hotel (Hotel Icon) and the Hong Kong Tourism Bureau, and both say that the tap water must be boiled first.

So what's the real deal? And why the disagreement? I'm getting the feeling that a lot of the locals are holding on to old beliefs about the water that are no longer based on any merit.

conglomerate

According to the Hong Kong Water Supplies Department, tap water is potable if your building is managed properly, and the right type of water pipe and water tank are used:

http://www.wsd.gov.hk/en/faqs/water_...ndex.html#tape

I would boil first, just to be safe.

mcgahat

I have never been to that property but have always had water straight from the tap in HK at the properties I have stayed at. Conrad, Prudential, Sheraton, Holiday Inn and Royal Pacific are the ones that come to mind immediately but probably a couple I dont remember. I think the deal is.....the tourism board and hotel have to give safe answers. They tell you it is fine to drink and then you get sick or something (even if it is not the water) then they have to deal with liability.

I am sure there are areas that you should not drink the water but I have not had any problems at the hotels I have been to.

MSPeconomist

I've always had hotels supply lots of free bottled water, which I drink, but I use tap for brushing teeth, etc. and do not obsess about the possibility of swallowing water in the shower the way I do in places where you should not drink the water. I'm not sure whether I would worry about ice cubes in Hong Kong; I can't recall ordering an iced beverage but I think hotel rooms have ice buckets which are filled at turndown.

yyzvoyageur

I wouldn't worry too much about it especially if you're in a newer building. I usually drink bottled water, but I do brush my teeth with tap water and haven't suffered any ill-effects. Our place is about a decade old and I'd have no problem drinking the water there. In an old building with old pipes and poorly maintained infrastructure, probably not.

hkskyline

The locals boil tap water as a general rule of thumb. It's just not for HK only but many of us who travel overseas tend to boil it as well. The government is always out there commenting on how safe it is and I haven't heard about tap water illness cases on the news in the past few years.

beep88

1) Tap water leaving the processing plants do meet international standards. In a local documentary on this subject (by TVB, available on Youtube, in Chinese), a water authorities official drank a glass on camera, while inside the facility

2) The same official went on to say that because of unknown maintenance standards/quality of water storage tanks and pipes in buildings, it is advisable to drink only boiled tap water

3) No genuine local drinks straight from the tap at home. Some would even drink only filtered and boiled tap water. Drinking fountains in schools, gyms etc. supply water that's filtered and/or UV treated.

Many of my friends tend to have upset stomach after having cold drinks with ice cubes in cheap local independent restaurants ("cha-charn-tang" ,not large chains or upscale places).

I always brush my teeth with water straight from the tap, never a problem. But I would never drink straight from the tap.

HKtraveller

Tap water is considered safe in Hong Kong, provided the pipes are up to standard. If not, boiling is no use either. It only kills bacteria , not other contamination.

rkkwan

Ice at any restaurant is made from boiled or purified or bottled water. Won't be straight from the tap. That's one of the reasons why it cost more to have cold drinks at many low-end eateries, as there's a not-insignificant cost to them.

Above posters already answered why hotels may not recommend tap water. I'll put it this way - if all the local hotel workers NEVER drink from their taps, and actually think it's ridiculous or dangerous to even have that thought, then it may be a little bit hypocritical for them to tell the guests it's totally safe, even if it actually is.

nacho

Not sure if it's cost related. If you order hot lemon water in a restaurant, they have to boil the water and it will cost a lot to boil too, if you order cold lemon water, they can just pour water straight from the tap. I think it's just a way to get people to pay more since HK can be steaming hot during summer.

The hotels I stayed at provide bottled water and it didn't say anything about tap water is drinkable.

My family filtered and boiled water before they drink it. It's a hassle but it's better safe than sorry. Getting ill in HK is not so fun, when I get a cold in HK, it takes longer time to recover. My mum always tell me to see a doctor but I have lived in Europe long enough to believe in the fact that you can treat a cold/flu.

CX828

I don't boil my tap water, but I filter it. In most restaurants in HK, if you ask for cold water or any beverage with ice, the water/ice will have come straight from the tap with no boiling/filtering. I used to work in a local restaurant serving western cusine and we were instructed to fill the jugs straight form the tap and add slices of lemon.


I think foreigners who are used to very clean water etc... maybe advised not to drink straight from the tap, but to locals it doesn't matter. Most people boil for hygienic reasons especially as many non commercial buildings are old.

philemer

Ah, the truth comes out. Anyone disagree?

beep88

>> Ice at any restaurant is made from boiled or purified or bottled water. Won't be straight from the tap.

I personally find this hard to believe at the cheap cha-charn-tang's. If a filter is never replaced/cleaned, that's even worse.

>> if you order cold lemon water, they can just pour water straight from the tap.

but any other cold drink, they have to brew/dissolve whatever in boiling/hot water and cool it down which takes time/electricity

falconea

My understand is that all large buildings in Hong Kong have a water tank which feeds the taps in that building. The quality of the water in a building depends on the condition of that tank, which in turn depends on age, maintenance etc.

Just buy water from Watsons. It's available everywhere, is cheap, and is good.

Audrey

nacho

Yes it's relatively cheap - but not really cheap compared to Europe. In France and Germany you can get a 1.5l of water for around 0.2 EUR which is roughly HKD 2. That's not Evian or Vittel or Watsons, but in Watson's you might have to pay at least HKD 3 for 0.5l of water.

A lot of people in Hong Kong can't afford that.

I think a big problem is the empty bottles - people throw away so many of them each day and it creates a lot of rubbish.

This is one of the main drawbacks of living in Hong Kong according to Mr. Nacho. He likes cold water from the tap.