Snowbird said:
I need to get an opinion re: safety in Puerto Plata. When we were in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, safety was not a concern for her.
I'm a frequent visitor to Puerto Vallarta and I've been to the cities mentioned many times, day and night, including very late at night.
You might be "hassled" depending on your definition (asked for money, offered services, ...).
You cannot just walk everywhere late at night without some security risk. You'll need to know where you are and where you are going and some places that are safe during the day are not at night.
Puerta Vallarta, Mexico is nothing like Sosua, POP, or Cabarete (and none are like each other). It may SEEM like you can walk anywhere in Puerta Vallarta, but you cannot. It just has a much bigger tourist area and the locals don't tend to invade the tourist areas to live off tourism unless they have a brick-and-mortar type job or business.
Stay in the touristy parts of any of these places and you'll not likely be a crime victim. Be prepared for offers though. The Dominican Republic towns mentioned generally do not have or enforce many regulations that prevent the locals doing their best to part tourists from their money compared to Puerta Vallarta. Some say this is the biggest drawback to the DR, some say it is part of its charm.