Beirut is a woman, petite but not especially pretty. The average Beiruti will happily take time describing her features and highlights: he’ll tell you how she was destroyed and then rebuilt half a dozen times, how her cooking is second to none and how, if you visit the iconic Pigeon Rock (grasping your coffee) in the very early hours of the morning, the sea melts into the city’s night sky as the scattered fishing boats begin to light their oil lamps. But ask any of the thousands of international expats that have made Beirut their home why they decided to stay, and they’ll give the same answer: they know they’re in love with the place, they just aren’t quite sure why.

Beirut is certainly a well-dressed lady. She’s also steeped in culture: there are more sights, galleries and ruins here than you can shake a camera at, and she is equally at home in three languages – Arabic, French and English. She is always making music, drinking cocktails and dancing on the tables; she’s wild and entertaining, and as attached to her nightlife as she is to her churches and mosques. But that isn’t why you fall for her. You love her because she’s a living contradiction. She’s rude, cheap, ugly – but for every person that’ll threaten you for glancing at them, Beirut has 10 that will open their homes to a complete stranger.

For every beggar on the streets, you’ll meet two Versace-clad elitists. For every pricey steak, you’ll find a bargain meal fit for a king. For every destroyed building, you’ll find a 2,000-year-old Roman bath or Byzantine church. The city is anarchy, with as many independent governments as it has residents. She shuns mere maps and street names, preferring you to get lost in her alleys. Need to find that obscure little art gallery? Take a left at the butcher’s, walk until you hear the caged birds, then make a sharp right at the store with the old couple sat out front.

Beirut will take you out and show you a good time, and treat you like a celebrity. She will stay with you all night and then leave you early in the morning, tired, bruised and all alone – but still eager for more. And the more that she torments you, the more you’ll love her for it.

Getting there
Etihad flies daily to Beirut from Dhs1,695 (including tax)

Where to stay
Plaza Hotel (+961 175 5777; www.plazahotellebanon.com)