Only about 25 km (16 miles) out of Cali (take carrera 1) so you have an alternative place that is easy to reach. Good sized city of about 250k but really not a lot to do. Be sure to head up to Coffee Country (Armenia 40km (81.5 miles) north. No safety concerns except usual precautions when traveling. Couple of places that I remember to stay are Hotel Plenitud and the El Dorado. The only restaurant that comes to mind is El Rancho de Dario. We usuallt headed on up to Ginebra for the best, IMHO, sancocho galena in the country. Try Viejo Juancho just outside Palmira-very crowded on the weekends. Museo de la Caña (Sugar Cane Museum) is worth a visit of say four hours.
