How widely is English spoken/understood in Mauritius?

Hi Diane, I think that in 99,9% of the cases English will be understood. As a general rule, English is the "official" language when it comes to documents, banks, bureaucracy etc.
I think you'll do just fine ;-)
On the other hand, you might have some troubles understanding the locals' English pronunciation if you find yourself in some remote areas where they're not used to speak to foreigners....

Thanks for the info.  We have so much to find out before we move!  Would you recomend Trou aux Biches as a place to live?  Work will be in PL and school poss in Mapau.  Also my son is vegan and my daughter is veggie -any good tips re eating out when we come over for our first reccy? thanks
Diane

Hello,
You will find a lot of veg food here. What difference between vegan and veggie? Trou-aux-Biches is a very nice place.
English is understood but people prefer speaking French and creole.
Good luck.

Hello Diane, both my husband and I are Vegan. One place that is 100% Vegan is Vegan Heaven, in Port Louis. Generally, before going to a restaurant it's better to call and ask for Vegan options, while Vegetarian is almost always on the menu, because of the many Hindus that live here. There's an abundance of fresh produce and I can give you the name of a home delivery of organic produce (as there's no laws about pesticides here and produce unfortunately is not very healthy).
Trou Aux Biches is a lovely place, and you get the best of both worlds: the beach is constantly on the top 10 of the most beautiful beaches in the world, while close-by you have Triolet, with the biggest Hindu temple and totally not a touristic place. 10 minutes north you have Grand Baie, with La Croisette shopping mall and the big "european" style supermarkets & shops... all in all, we're glad we chose this place.
Also, my husband works in Port Louis. Commuting is longer than we expected (we were living in Rome previously, 3+ million people and yet here commuting takes longer!) but that's a known problem when entering P.Louis.

For Gene: a Vegan avoids all animal products, meat, cheese, milk, honey etc. and it's more of a complete lifestyle, based on compassion. Also, it has the best health turnaround possible, no animal fats = no cholesterol, decrease of heart disease, etc. Vegetarians on the other hand still consume diary and honey (I've been Vegetarian 20+ years and became Vegan 2+ years ago and I'm so glad I did! but admins will say that i'm getting off topic if I go on! ;-) )