Secret Tango Society -Buenos Aires

February 11th, 2026

Today we disembark the ship. The captain was able to get the ship in earlier than expected, so many people were excited by this. We left our cabin and went to our disembarking location on the ship and waited to leave. Eventually they called our group and we left. Unlike many other ports, Buenos Aries does not have a direct dock to leave the port, we need to catch a shuttle from the ship to the cruise terminal.

Here we pick up our bags we left our the night before. As has happened on every cruise I have taken, my luggage was damaged. One of the four wheels was missing! I think I will handle my own luggage on cruises from here out.

We booked a room at the NH Collections Jousten in downtown Buenos Aries. If we booked the room through American Express, we get a cheaper rate, $100 hotel credit to use for food or drinks and and free upgrade on our room. It is a small boutique style hotel with your typical small elevators. Our free room upgrade put us in the penthouse suite! It was on the top floor and we had the whole floor as our room. Two elevators serviced our “lounge” and our bedroom took up the other half of the space. It was a big change from the cabin we had on the ship.

Jousten Hotel. Our room is at the top where the big arches are.

After a quick nap, we headed out to a tango show that I reserved at the Secret Tango Society. During our food tour on our first day in Buenos Aries, our guide, Denis, recommended this place for the best tango experience in town. He told me to book it ASAP and I did, but I could only get seats for the 4:40pm show for today. The show does not include dinner, but there will be plenty of time to find a place to eat after the show.

Secret Tango Society

The Secret Tango Society is located in the Palmero district of Buenos Aries. We took an Uber there and waited for the doors to open. I was surprised to see that is was a small venue. Only 16 small tables with two chairs each. All arranged around the edge of the room. The center of the room was open and there was a piano along one of the walls.

They served us some wine (included in the show) as we waited for the rest of the patrons to arrive. Next to the piano was a chair with a man holding an accordion. Soon the man started playing the accordion and a woman started singing. Even though the music was all in spanish, you could feel her passion as she sang. Soon another gentleman walked up and started playing the piano. After awhile, the guy standing next to my table walked out and took the hand of a woman sitting at a table. They started to tango! It felt like we were in an old Argentine bar from a movie. I guess not everyone sitting at tables were here to watch the show. Some of them were the performers!

The tango dancers were literally inches away from us as they danced. I kept my hand on my wine glass in case they bumped the table, but they never did. The emotion the dancers had on their faces told the story of the dance. (desire, rejection, etc…) The woman singing had an amazing voice and the combination of dancing and singing really brought the show together. Occasionally the accordion player or piano player would solo so the dancers got a chance to rest. The dancers would rest in the seats as though they were watching the show. The experience was unforgettable. I highly recommend going to this show.

Secret Tango Society

After the show, we wandered the streets of Palermo in search of dinner. There are so many great options here. We ended up at the Grappa Cantina. It was an Italian-Argentina restaurant. It was a nice way to finish the evening.

Grappa Cantina