A smoking room with a view

Dan Donovan was in Northern Ireland for a wedding last week.

He found this "amazing smoking room" that overlooks woodland and features "a real fire, comfy chairs and stained glass windows".

The term "smoking room" appears to be common in Ireland. My Cork-based colleague John Mallon is always using it.

It caught me out at first because I couldn't understand how an area that was open to the elements could be described as a room.

That was before I was taken to several pubs in Dublin and elsewhere and discovered that "smoking rooms" were exactly that.

In the UK however the term often has negative connotations. Think of a smoking room and many people - smokers included - imagine nicotine-stained walls, overflowing ashtrays and the smell of stale tobacco. Nice.

It doesn't have to be like that. See Is this the best smoking room in the world?.

See also Smoking in bars and brasseries - what the Belgians can teach the British.

Meanwhile, don't forget to nominate (in the comments) the pub that, in your opinion, has the best smoking area/room.

If tobacco control campaigners have their way even outdoor smoking rooms could disappear. Support the Best Smoking Area award and help us make sure that doesn't happen.