Same as in UK - almost all restaurants have open air terraces where you can drink and eat, so no problems, ashtrays on all tables.

Hotels, not inside public rooms, but again most have terraces to allow smoking. Our bedrom also had ashtrays.

Hope this helps

Lena

Hi George, just come back from Cala en Bosch, its no where near like the UK, you can more or less smoke anywhere. Even in the restaurants you can smoke inside as they are more than equipped with their extracters. Never had one single problem while we were there and we ate in restaurants every single night for 2 weeks, its a free country. We are going back in September to smoke our heads off in comfort. Your wife will not have a problem at all. Enjoy.

Definetly no problem smoking, but make sure the wife takes plenty of supplies. You can only buy cigarettes from tobaconists...we found one right on the harbour in Mahon, Im sure there is others!!!

There is a tobacconist in Cala en Bosch open at the moment. I think its one of those with a temporary license for the summer season.

Sarah

smoking not a problem anywhere with the exception of hotel receptions,
buses,public buildings etc,all bars have ashtrays.there are at least seven
tabac shops in ciudadela the easiest to find being across road from the bus terminus.

I beg to differ smoking is a major problem to non smokers, and people who continue to smoke in public places especially where people are eating are selfish in the extreme.At last in the uk we have a government which has the courage to ban smoking in public spaces ,and hopefully this is the same in Menorca because up until reading some comments on ht I thought that the ban was also being upheld in spain. As this website is a friendly informative site I do not wish to offend anyone but I feel that people need to realise that smoking in public is deeply offensive to non smokers. And incidentally to a previous poster your comfort is ,my and my childrens discomfort and smoking your heads off in comfort is very selfish and thoughtless

being a smoker myself i actually agree with you, smoking where people are eating is unacceptable,if or should i say when i want to smoke at home i go in my garden and have done so for years (shame it has took our government so long to make illegal to smoke in public places)but we do have a saying in england and it is ..quote.. when in rome do as the romans do.. therefore if it is acceptable to the spanish or menorcans in this case then we should respect the way they choose to do things in their
country and respect their laws

Hello and regards to all

The law about smoking in Spain is apparently quite clear --- "On December 26 2005, a law was passed in Spain (coming into effect on January 1 2006) severely restricting smoking in public places. The effects of this legislation were as follows:
Bars and restaurants under 100² (and all work places, for that matter) must decide whether they want to permit smoking and must clearly display if smoking is allowed or not.
Bars and restaurants over 100² must have separate areas for both smokers and non-smokers."

It appears that what has happened in Spain and Menorca is that because the Spanish Government has not grasped the bull by the horns (no pun intended) and gone for a total smoking ban in public (unlike the UK) the legislation is open to local interpretation and contravention by people who wish to challenge it where possible and/or where the management or owners of establishments choose to take a short term view against a longer term public health stance by allowing people to smoke. Ultimately this will create a two tier system of either smoking or non-smoking places, where, as most people believe, the short-termers will lose out in the battle for customers, as the majority of people in Spain just as in the UK, are non-smokers.

There are people in the UK who are trying to defy the law here and I do not think that it is helpful to Britain or especially to the image of Brits in Spain if British visitors are seen to be defying or trying to find ways around Spanish law. Like "Norm" a lot of smokers are considerate, especially in eating establishments, but many smokers are not and I object to having to breathe in second-hand noxious and damaging poisons when I myself choose not to smoke. Of course I have no problem with people who wish to smoke in private or outdoors and through this useful site I too do not wish to offend smokers.

I take strenous efforts to make sure I use hotels and restaurants that do not allow smoking, in fact that is one reason I choose to revisit a couple of hotels in Menorca that do respect the new laws, other parts of Spain plus other enlightened countries. There are places abroad I will not visit until they realise the future of tourism is non-smoking in public areas and I look forward to the day when some existing tourist destinations join most of Europe and North America.

I can recommend some totally non smoking hotels to anyone who has recently suffered in silence.

hi phil wouldn`t one answer to this problem be the restaraunts simply should not put ashtrays "inside "the restaraunt but leave them outside on the terraces,as i believe if a smoker sees an ashtray they take it as an invitation to light up.

Agree with you there. When you see an ashtray you assume you can light up!!

I lit up in a Chinese in Majorca when I saw an ashtray and got into all sorts of bother (it was for olive stones)!!! And that was outside.

I do agree that inside is nicer and more considerate not to smoke and I am a smoker!

However at least in the Balearics you have the choice - not like the UK!!

Anne

Just back from calan bosch and found that most smokers there do not have any consideration towards non smokers even my children.We were hoping for a smoke free environment but every time we went for a meal we had to breathe in selfish peoples poison .Next year we will look to holiday somewhere where smoking in eateries is forbidden

As a smoker I would never smoke inside a restraunt, but outside on the patio areas.