This colonial town has some great dining and more authentic culture in the town center.
We stayed on the outskirts of town in Posada Real on the beach in the “Zona Hotelera”. This was a nice, easy, cheap option for the trip. This beach resort was about a 15 minute shuttle from the airport, and a popular all inclusive partner for one stop shopping. They have free internet (not very fast) and we had free breakfast buffet which was quite tasty and an easy way to get the day going.
To get a more cultural experience and to avoid paying tourist prices for imitation food in the popup resort stripmall, you will want to get into the original part of the town.
We weren’t concerned about our safety, and once you get away from the real tourist row you are much more likely to get locals to talk to you.
The bus system made getting around easy and cheap, just make sure you tell the driver where you are going so you get on a bus going the right direction.
There are lots of fun food options here, but walking around town is a more reliable method for finding a good meal than using Yelp or the like.