Despite warm weather in the French principality, there were blustery conditions on Court Rainier III as the red clay drifted around the court.
The wind led to a few shanks from the racket of Dimitrov but didn’t appear to affect Nadal too heavily as he eased through 6-4 6-1.
Speaking after the match, Nadal was asked if he used the wind to his advantage.
And he told the ATP: “Everybody prefers to play with no wind.
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“But being from an island like Mallorca, where we have some wind out there I’m more or less used to play like this.”
Nadal’s win was his 70th in Monte Carlo and he has now won 17 consecutive matches at the event.
It was also his 12th win over Dimitrov, who battled well but was overpowered by the Spaniard.
When asked for his assessment of the match, Nadal said he was pleased with how he performed against a close friend.
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He said: “It’s not been an easy day.
“A lot of wind out there today but great feelings with this sunshine out here and playing against a good friend, great player and I wish him all the best for the season.
Nadal plays Guido Pella in the quarter-finals and the 32-year-old says he is able with how he is playing.
“I am happy the way that I am playing,” he said.
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“The first two rounds I played more than well enough to win. I had two confident scores against two good players.
“First matches after an injury, that's always a tough thing to come back.
“At the same time, [we're on a] different surface, on clay after almost a year.
“So that's a good start for me on the clay court season."