I have just stayed in the Landmark hotel and was told that their pub The Huntsman Inn was worth visiting. The pub the food and happy hour were great but what really spoilt the evening was the allowance of smoking. I spoke to the English manager and he said it was allowed and anyway the Police would never think of visiting the premises to crack down on smoking. Is this the norm for Major Hotels in Bangkok.

Thanks i for one will never use the place , if people want to stink out themselves let them get om with it , Its called free will i suppose.

Here we go again!

It's illegal to smoke indoors in a public place in Bangkok. Surprisingly, most bars and nightclubs comply with this.......though I wouldn't know the percentage.....I don't frequent them. I have heard that even girly bars ( he last bastion of smokers) are non-smoking these days.

You could complain o he health department.

We don't want to spoil the fresh air in Bangkok. And never any nasty smells as well.

The Huntsman is quite big and if you enter the bar I believe the left side is for non smokers and the right side for smokers. At least it used to be like that.

Yes, there are laws, but as with everything here, enforcement is the issue. It's better than it was a couple of years ago, but the hopes that I had about Thailand becoming smoke-free haven't been realized.

As an ex-smoker, it's hard to be somewhere with smokers and resist the urge. I did it the last night I went out, but I usually end up having at least one cigarette if I'm somewhere surrounded by smokers.

I rather the BIB were out solving crime than nicking some old dear smoking an oily rag.....

A few well publisized busts or whisper it a crackdown would soon sort out those venues that ignore the smoking law. And maybe even solve a crime or two.

I am sure that JFC Chandler will be along shortly to comment on one of his favourite subjects, just don't mention ATM fees.

Very quiet....maybe the anti-smoking lobby have managed to find a non-smoking venue to enjoy at last. Took them long enough mind you. I can think of only four venues in Bangkok which break the law in this way. Out of how many??

I love it when people complain about the smoke....it makes smoking so much more enjoyable.....much more than if you just turn around and walk out.

One of the joys of going to eat in the Huntsman

It's illegal to smoke indoors in a public place in Bangkok. Surprisingly, most bars and nightclubs comply with this.......though I wouldn't know the percentage.....I don't frequent them. I have heard that even girly bars ( he last bastion of smokers) are non-smoking these days.

You could complain o he health department.

Not quite correct.

The law talks about indoor air conditioned places.

The Air Conditioning is the key word here.

Notice that most of the places you see with one entire wall moved away (where you walk strait into the place), with only fans, have ashtrays on each table.

Of course, as always, a lot of the places break the rules anyhow ( air con or not).

Very quiet....maybe the anti-smoking lobby have managed to find a non-smoking venue to enjoy at last. Took them long enough mind you. I can think of only four venues in Bangkok which break the law in this way. Out of how many??

I love it when people complain about the smoke....it makes smoking so much more enjoyable.....much more than if you just turn around and walk out.

I love thinking of the money I save by not smoking.

Very quiet....maybe the anti-smoking lobby have managed to find a non-smoking venue to enjoy at last. Took them long enough mind you. I can think of only four venues in Bangkok which break the law in this way. Out of how many??

I love it when people complain about the smoke....it makes smoking so much more enjoyable.....much more than if you just turn around and walk out.

I love thinking of the money I save by not smoking.

You could also save a lot of money by not eating?

I rather the BIB were out solving crime than nicking some old dear smoking an oily rag.....

I'd rather they'd check this rather than waste everybody's time checking if people wear helmets on their bike. Smoking affects everyone. Helmets only affect the driver.

I rather the BIB were out solving crime than nicking some old dear smoking an oily rag.....

I'd rather they'd check this rather than waste everybody's time checking if people wear helmets on their bike. Smoking affects everyone. Helmets only affect the driver.

Good argument Phil. If we go that route, can we also check the exhaust emissions of everyone's cars / trucks/ bikes.

Here we go again!

There realy is no need for smoke laden air with the tech available.

I had a small pub in Bristol some 10 years ago...it could get very smoky.

I installed a couple of electric precipitator units on the ceilings.The air passes through a carbon filter,then passes through ther charged precipitator plates which remove the pasrticulates.

Every week these were cleaned. The 'gunge'' that they had collected was amazing and to think of something like that residing in your lungs .

I am sure that this tech has improved. and probably now has additional features like perfuming the air so that you can think you are out in the garden as you enjoy your smoke ........but then I guess someone..especialy from Thaivisa would complain that the wrong perfume is used.!!!

Good argument Phil. If we go that route, can we also check the exhaust emissions of everyone's cars / trucks/ bikes.

Yes, please! There are emissions tests for vehicles that are over a certain age, but I get the feeling that nothing much is done about it as it seems that the common practice is to pay off the garage to give your vehicle a certificate of good health!

If only the public transportation vehicles and taxis were all required to have minimal emissions, (and have it enforced), I think the air quality in BKK would immediately improve! Imagine!

The excuse I was given about allowing smoking in the Huntsman is that it is licensed as a bar, not a restaurant. Bar licenses are more expensive than those for restaurants so many bars which also serve meals opted for the cheaper license. However, licensed bars are exempt from the general smoking ban. This was aimed mainly at allowing punters to smoke in the girlie bars. I don't know if this is true, but it sounds ridiculous enough to be so.