This was my 8th trip to Poland, but other than the occasional PTTK (Polish walkers' association) hostel I'd never really done the hostelling thing before. I must say it's not been an unpleasant experience, though I did treat myself to a nice hotel in Szczecin. I stayed at an independent hostel aimed at the western backpackers crowd in Warsaw, a regular Polish independent hostel in Torun, and an HI one in Poznan. The manager of the latter was the nicest old man, who could speak English perfectly, and was willing to be lenient about the curfew thing. Another comparison: Warsaw 55 zloty/13 euro (dorm), Torun 23 zloty/5 euro (single), Poznan 28 zloty/6 euro (dorm), Szczecin 60 zloty/14 euro (hotel room). In other words: if you're on a tight budget, forget about Warsaw, or go camping. (And resist the temptation of fine Chinese food. And don't take any trains.)