after its originally scheduled opening date of May 1.

General manager Bill Shoaf said yesterday that wet weather had caused construction delays at the South Shore, Paget site which has been undergoing a multi-million dollar refurbishment since November.

The opening date was further pushed back because of shipping delays which held up furnishing deliveries, he said.

But other parts of the hotel will open for guest use before then.

The revamped Seahorse Grill is set to open by the weekend when work on the pool, tennis courts and beach facility is also scheduled to wrap up.

And 40 rooms in the main hotel building will open on Monday, he added.

Guests have been staying in the hotel's garden rooms and junior suites since work began in November. Dining has been provided on site at the Cafe Lido.

"We are making a beach head this week,'' Mr. Shoaf told The Royal Gazette yesterday.

In August work will concentrate on the hotel lobby, the Veranda Bar and the retail stores the hotel houses.