Geneva trains, Good Hotels, and London surf: Travel agenda

Where to go and what to know

1. Sandals

Sandals Resorts is taking bookings on its first site in Barbados, opening on 28 January 2015. The hotel features 280 rooms and suites with a modern Caribbean design. For sea views check into the Ocean Village rooms, all of which overlook the water. A new e-brochure has the details.

bit.ly/SandBarb

2. Tunisia tax

Tourists departing Tunisia from this week must pay an exit tax of 30 dinars (about £11). It applies to all passengers, including children and babies. You must buy the stamp before you leave Tunisia, and payment is in cash in the local currency. You can buy the stamp in advance at hotels, travel agencies and tobacconists, or at the airport.

gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/tunisia

3. Saintly Paris

On 8 October, Paris begins a year of celebrations the 800th anniversary of the birth of Saint Louis, or King Louis IX, who created the miraculous Sainte-Chapelle on the Île de la Cité. Some original stained glass will be on show at the nearby Conciergerie.

bit.ly/StLouis800

4. BA goes Med

Starting in May, British Airways steps up its Mediterranean offering from Heathrow, with new twice-weekly services to Olbia in Sardinia, Kos in Greece, and Split in Croatia, as well as a four-times-a-week service to Corfu. The slots and aircraft are being freed up by reducing the frequency of business routes.

ba.com

5. HK warning

As protests continue in Hong Kong, Cathay Pacific warns: "Public transport services to and from the airport are likely to be affected." The airline also recommends that passengers check availability of transport and allow ample travel time to and from the airport.

cathaypacific.com

6. Catch a wave

The London Surf/Film Festival takes place from 9-12 October at the independent Genesis cinema in Whitechapel. The festival celebrates global surf culture with a line-up of documentaries including "Into the Sea", an account of the first woman to surf in Iran, and "Tierra de Patagones", in which the film-makers catch a wave in Patagonia.

londonsurffilmfestival.com

7. Geneva trains

The principal city in French-speaking Switzerland becomes easier to reach by land from 14 December, when a regular train starts running four-times a week from Lille to Geneva. It connects with Euorstar services from London St Pancras. Through fares from £114 return.

eurostar.com

8. Good Hotels

The new edition of the Good Hotel Guide: Great Britain and Ireland is published on Monday, with more than 400 reviews of hotels considered to be among the best of their type. There is also a "Shortlist" section with an additional 400 properties, including untested but noteworthy new openings.

goodhotelguide.com