Canefields Country HOuse

The grounds are spacious, with plenty of accommodation and conference facilities. Canefields, just off the N2 outside Empangeni, feels a long way from town, and the food from La Fusion chefs is wonderful.

The wedding was a great day for all of us. Thanks to Owner Richard, manager Niki, and the whole staff for all the hard work. The restaurant food was 100%, the bar area was good, and it's a quiet spot that works well for any function.

Since they gave the accommodation to a university, this place has lost what it used to be. Maybe they're making more money, but it doesn't feel like a resort anymore.

Afterwards, management apologized, but there was no partial refund and no apology from the person who ruined the day. The whole wedding was a bad experience two years ago. I had gone over everything with Tracey in advance, including opening the bar at 16h30 and having white plates ready for everyone to serve food. She said it would all be handled. Then, the night before, I found out another wedding ceremony would use hall 1 from 9am to 12pm. Tracey had said we could use that hall for our caterers and food, tea, and coffee stations. It left very little setup time for the caterers and family, and added stress. Happiness told me the other wedding wouldn't run late because she'd told them there was another wedding at 14h30. On the day, I was told the other ceremony had only started at 11am. I was extremely stressed, and couldn't enjoy getting ready because I was thinking of our guests waiting. A bride being 30 minutes late is understandable, but being two hours late when it may affect another wedding isn't right. Who booked first? Surely two weddings so close together on one day shouldn't be allowed. Tracey even posted on FB that it was a "last minute wedding". She was also very rude to one of my bridesmaids. At the reception after the ceremony, there was no champagne on the tables and no waiter or anyone to help. The MC had to find someone to bring it out. The white dinner plates weren't on the tables or at the caterer's food station either. My husband left me to find help, and the lady he spoke to said we couldn't have plates because we'd have to pay for them. It seemed no one had been told we'd already paid. During this, Tracey was drinking at the bar, as she had the night before, instead of overseeing the wedding. The bar had also opened during canapes, before the agreed 16h30, either because the bartenders hadn't been told or because they opened early anyway. Later, after our tea and coffee station had been set up, staff removed it and put the venue's station on the table, even though we'd specified we would provide our own to avoid extra charges. Luckily, someone found our tea and coffee in the kitchen and set it up again. If nobody had noticed, we would have been charged for tea and coffee.