My wife and I take turns deciding on holiday destinations - and, while we have a veto, we usually go along with the other's choice. "Buenos Aires?" I asked her. "This is the first time you've ever mentioned it!" Apparently, a friend from her book club had recently returned from Argentina with a spring in her step (and a new boyfriend), declaring it to be 'fabulous'. However, the thought of dressing up and going for dance lessons struck terror in my heart.

I retreated into my cyber world to check out Argentina and its capital city. After six hours of my Internet investigation, I was ready to concede on the destination. All accounts declared it to be a beautiful city, regarded as the "Paris of the South", and a great tourist destination. "Okay, we'll go," I said, "but I will skip the dance lessons." A truce was declared and we booked the trip.

To say Buenos Aires is beautiful is an understatement. It is a magnificent combination of European culture and Latin charm. Sophisticated, yet friendly. Exciting, yet comfortable. As we drove into the city from the airport I was immediately struck by the architecture, the majestic European-style mansions, restored warehouses, bustling sidewalk cafes, grand avenues and colourful rows of houses. It reminded me of my first visits to to the grand cities of Europe: Paris, Rome, Berlin and Barcelona.

I had considered booking into one of the two top hotels in town. The Phillipe Starck-designed Faena Hotel, recently named by Conde Nast as one of the 50 best new hotels in the world, is the playground for the in-crowd. In contrast, the elegant Alvear Palace Hotel is the luxurious haunt of business moguls and European royalty.

However, as we were spending a week in the city, I opted for the more affordable Bel Air Hotel. The hotel has a hip, designer feel, although the outside reflects 19th century architecture. It is not a luxury hotel, but the rooms are comfortable and clean. It has a perfect location, a block away from the Avenida Santa Fe, one of the major shopping streets in Buenos Aires. It's a great neighbourhood, full of shops and restaurants and within walking distance of the Recoleta district.

I immediately felt at home with the Porteños (the name the locals call themselves). Because Buenos Aires is not a huge tourism destination, the people seem genuinely happy to meet foreigners. The days of huge cattle money, café society and literary grandeur are a memory since the 2001 economic crisis, but the peso devaluation a few years ago has made the city more affordable. This is not an early city - the locals only come out to dine late and think nothing of dancing the night away. As we are both late-night people, my wife's choice was turning out to be a masterstroke.

As the magazine Time Out so aptly describes it: "For the traveller, Buenos Aires delivers. Wander cobbled streets, marvelling at faded architectural glories and colourfully painted metal houses. Talk world politics and fútbol in atmospheric old cafes. Tuck into one of the famous Argentine steaks to power a long night's partying."

We spent the first day finding our way around. It's not too difficult due to the formal grid pattern of the streets. The city is broken up into little barrios, or neighbourhoods, each one with its own personality. The trendy Palermo, the wealthy Recoleta, the commercial El Centro, the timeless San Telmo, the beautiful Puerto Madero, and colourful La Boca are all part of the culture of this city.

City tours on offer are a great way to see the highlights in one fell swoop. The Cementerio de la Recoleta, an eerily opulent necropolis of marble mausoleums and statues, is the city's most famous landmark. Nearby is the Museo de Bellas Artes, which house some great paintings by Antonio Berni and the tango-inspired figures of Antonio Segui. There are many other great museums, both historical and contemporary.

One museum I found especially fascinating was the Museo de la Pasión Boquense, where Diego Maradona and other footballing heroes who have passed through Boca Juniors FC, are idolised. You can't go anywhere without being aware of the allure of football. The fact that the national team failed to perform at the recent World Cup was seen as a national disaster.

The only thing that can rival football for passion is the tango. As agreed, I would accompany my wife to a show, but she would be on her own for the lessons. We asked the concierge and other hotel guests to recommend the best show in town and the consistent reply was El Querandi.

The show takes place in a magnificently restored 1920's building, which has been transformed into a bar-restaurant-theatre. Dinner is served at 8.30 and the tango show starts a little after 10pm. On the night we were there, they had six dancers, four musicians and two singers. What an eye-opener the performance was. For 90 minutes, the show just oozed passion and raw sexuality.

The tango was originally a dance of the poor residents of Buenos Aires in the 1800s. Although it was frowned upon by the rich aristocrats, it slowly rose into the upper classes. They took it to Europe and it became the rage of Paris in the 1920s. It returned in triumph to Argentina and enjoyed huge popularity through the 1940s and 1950s and the leading dancers became very famous.

We had so enjoyed the show that we accepted a recommendation to see the dance in more intimate quarters. The Cafe Tortoni, a long narrow bar filled with paintings and old photographs of celebrities, holds tango shows in a small backroom. Squeezed in at tiny tables, the show has an even more intimate feel. As we left the venue, I asked my wife when her lessons would start. Her reply stunned me: "I wasn't serious about that, I just wanted to get you to the shows." Well, it worked.

If you are in any doubt about visiting Buenos Aires, be assured there's something for everyone. You'll be dazzled by the artistry of a tango show, overwhelmed by the nation's passion for football or just fall in love with the Porteños' zest for life.