As a rule, textiles (fabric, curtains, tablecloths, rugs, etc.) and seamstresses/tailors (homemade furniture too) in that part of the world tend to be inexpensive, with the added bonus of your having lovely souvenirs of your time in Mauritius.

Lisa, how many of you are moving, and what is your baggage allowance? You might want to check on the size of the mattresses to find out if it's worth bringing sheets with you.

Having lived abroad a bit in the tropics, to my family the things that made a new house our home were bringing along things like favorite books, your special holiday decorations, items not readily available like favorite tea and birthday candles, a favorite frying pan, etc. We also found that we spent a fair amount of time away from home, either working, shopping, exploring and getting to know the place, or enjoying nature.

Have you looked into the Mauritius forum at expat.com?

http://www.expat.com/forum/viewforum.php?id=108

Others who've recently done the same thing that you're planning now might have the best advice.

I would look for an inexpensive area rug. Once you rearrange the furniture it will be nice. Add some art ,fresh flowers, some decorative pillows and a throw.

Lucky you! I hope you relish new experiences and cultures. As suggested above, bring personal favorite things that are easily packed. Then spend some of your time and money there acquiring decorative treasures that you'll enjoy for years to come. I imagine an area rug would be one of those. Silk for curtains might be another. Go on that forum and learn all you can.

Thanks everyone, some helpful suggestions, soft furnishings and rugs seem to be the way to go. I'm moving with my husband and two young son's (a 2 year old and a 2 month old - so only one qualifies for a baggage allowance! ;)). We looked into shipping furniture and personal goods but the cost was prohibitive (double the value of the goods!) so we will be taking the bare minimum with us, clothes, books and some toys for the kids. Thanks for the link @beckysharp, that website is invaluable! also good thinking re: bedding, it sounds like the beds there tend to be standard size (tight squeeze) so my US sheets are likely to be too large, good thing I didn't waste valuable shipping space sending them!

I would also take some family pictures for the walls -- blow some up as large as possible -- but take copies and leave the originals at home somewhere safe.

One thing I've found invaluable whenever living abroad with kids is the ability to buy English-language books at a reasonable price, and for that www.bookdepository.com is very good (based in the UK and owned by Amazon); they ship for free to most countries.

Have a wonderful time!