I spent three nights at Los Bucaros, and enjoyed the hotel. As a woman traveling alone, and with minimal Spanish, I felt very safe in the hotel and the surrounding neighborhood. My room was very clean. It was set in an interior courtyard with a window only on the courtyard, so it was a little dark. The first night, there was a problem with the hot water, but after that, I had unlimited hot water. Most of the staff did not speak English, but were helpful and we managed to communicate with my bad Spanish. They provided directions, information on the city, andI booked a coffee plantation tour through them. There was a nice kitchen which you can use for storing food or preparing meals.
Pluses: quiet at night, two big courtyards, free internet, free water and coffee, friendly and helpful staff, good neighborhood, good value at $35 for a single
Minuses: does not take credit cards, noisy in the morning, lots of tour groups, breakfast not included
