Originally Posted by krzysz
This site is pretty useful and contains a lot of reviews, too.
http://www.hostelworld.com/
It also includes hostel ratings with votes from the site customers,
who grade security, location, staff, fun and cleanliness in/of the hostel.
Great site, but depending on how far you plan, you might not need to actually book with HW. Often times, I just go to the site, write down the address, and somehow get there, with usually a place to stay. Often times the prices for walk-in are the same as what you would pay without reservation so you can skirt the $4 or whatever fee w/ HW. YMMV.