task.

Should it be casual or smart? Indoors or outdoors? Light or extravagantly rich? Early or late? These are important decisions, not to be made lightly.

Before the renovations and management hand over at the hotel there was only one dining room option for guests on the meal plan, and they had two choices of when to eat their evening meal -- 6.30 or 8.30. Now they can choose their own dinner time, and eat at a variety of locations.

"All our restaurants are now on the dine-around programme,'' said food and beverage director Mr. Stanley Ray, who has been at the hotel for 21 years.

"We have an extra diverse choice of dining for our guests, and that is perhaps one of the most dynamic features we have to attract potential guests.

We have spent tons of money on all the restaurants, and each one has a new feel. We are just trying to wow our guests right now.'' Spazzizi's, which Mr. Ray describes as "a very casual, fun, and exciting restaurant'', offers diners a range of choices from pizza to chicken wings to some spectacular desserts. The restaurant has two terraces that have been re-paved and furnished with comfort and luxury in mind.

"You sit in one of those chairs and you don't want to get up,'' said Mr. Ray.

"Right now that restaurant is getting a lot of attention from guests both on and off the meal plan, and its popularity is spreading to smaller guest houses in the area. We are going to do a local advertising blitz in the near future, and we really expect it to take off. If the immediate response is any indication of what could happen to the restaurant, we're going to have to double the staff!'' Ondine's is the hotel's flagship restaurant -- a formal dining room in which men are requested to wear jackets, and which offers an elegant six-course menu of traditional French cuisine. Featuring the talents of executive chef Norbert Stange, this restaurant is also being very well received by guests, and Mr.

Ray and his staff are hoping locals will soon begin looking to Ondine's for a special evening of dinner and dancing.

Both Spazzizi's and Ondine's will feature live entertainment. Spazzizi's has signed singer June Ventzos and her musical trio for its lounge, while Ondine's will play host to alternating trios -- the Milt Robinson with Doug Frith Trio and the Peter Profit Trio.

The hotel will soon have a pianist playing in the Orangerie, the main hotel lounge, and guests visiting the adjacent Library Bar will also be able to enjoy that music.

The Elbow Beach is putting a great deal of emphasis on outdoor dining these days, taking advantage of Bermuda's beautiful weather and the hotel's attractive new landscaping.

Five nights a week guests can enjoy poolside barbecues, feasting on steak, ribs, chicken, corn on the cob and much more, in a completely casual atmosphere.

"You can literally walk out of the pool in your bathing suit and sit down and have dinner'', said Mr. Ray.

On the other two nights, there is a special buffet programme held on the beach terrace near the new Cafe Lido restaurant. On Friday nights diners can revel in "St. David's Night'', tasting such traditional St. David's delicacies as conch and fish chowders and fish cakes while being entertained by a local limbo show.

Saturday is the "Bermuda Beach Party and Barbecue'', featuring a buffet with everything from barbecued steak to fresh salads, while local band "Twice'' provides music to accompany dinner, games and even night-time swimming. Room service is now available in the hotel 18 hours a day, and while there is a special room service menu, if a guest requests something from one of the hotel restaurants, that can also be delivered to their room.

"The service is a little bit different now -- it's more structured, so the guest feels completely catered to. We will always give a guest a response time when they make an order, and we will meet that time, without fail. If we don't meet it, we will give the meal to them free.'' The hotel also specialises in catering for such important occasions as anniversaries, celebratory dinners and weddings on the beach terrace.

"It's the best spot on the Island to have a wedding reception,'' boasted Mr.

Ray. "It's absolutely beautiful.'' The food and beverage manager said his staff of 130 seemed genuinely enthusiastic about the Wyndham way of running the hotel, and were responding accordingly.

"There is a definite progressive feeling of accomplishment and self-worth brought here by Wyndham,'' said a delighted Mr. Ray.

"It is guest/service oriented, but the actual responsibility is passed down to the employee to make sure each guest is satisfied. It is a programme where the staff can see a bigger picture.'' ONDINE'S -- The Elbow Beach Hotel's flagship restaurant provides just one of a whole variety of dining experiences now available to guests.