LIVING in furnished rented accommodation for the last few years, I've never had the luxury of owning a mattress.
Instead, I've had to make do with a succession of landlord-supplied models, made slightly more bearable by the addition of a mattress topper (read my Simba mattress topper review here).
However, in November I made the leap to an unfurnished house, giving me the opportunity to do a Nectar Premier Mattress review.
Nectar is just one of many so-called "bed in a box" companies we've reviewed at Sun Selects. They're all the rage nowadays, thanks to their convenient delivery options, long trial periods, and near-permanent sales.
It's by no means the biggest name in the game; Emma and Simba are both more popular, according to Google searches, and their popularity is deserved. I sleep under a weighted blanket from Emma every night — if you're yet to discover the wonders of the best weighted blankets, check out our roundup — and I rest my weary head on a Simba Hybrid Pillow (read my Simba Hybrid pillow review here).
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However, I truly believe Nectar is being slept on as a brand, if you'll pardon the pun, which is possibly partially responsible for the value for money it represents.
Rating: 5/5
Pros
- So, so, so comfortable
- Great value when compared to similar models from other bed-in-a-box retailers
- Delivery to a room of your choice
- Year-long trial period
- Forever warranty means Nectar will replace any broken parts for as long as you own the mattress
Cons
- It's thick - you will almost certainly need deep-fitted sheets
- Doesn't have cooling properties on par with some more expensive mattresses
- Not firm enough for stomach sleepers
First impressions
My opinion of Nectar was good before I even received my mattress; when ordering, you can choose nominated-day delivery for free, which provides peace of mind when you're moving house. I know it doesn't seem like much when you're dropping the best part of a grand on a mattress, but it creates a good impression.
It was also helpful that I could track my delivery driver over the course of the day, meaning I knew almost exactly when the mattress would be delivered to my house.
When it arrived, the mattress was neatly packaged in a box that came up to my chin, and one of the gentlemen helped me carry it up to my top-floor room (I live in a three-story house, so it would have been a nightmare trying it alone).
Once it was in my room, I unpackaged the mattress, decanting it from the plastic using the included Nectar-branded opening knife (a nice touch). I then, with some difficulty, hauled it onto the bed.
This is not a slim mattress, at 28cm deep, and while that has positive implications for its comfort and support properties, it also means that moving it is no mean feat. Of course, once it's on your bed, that's not too much of an issue apart from when you have to turn it once every two or three months. It's worth noting you shouldn't flip this sort of mattress, so there won't be any super-heavy lifting.
Some mattresses emit an unpleasant smell when you first open them, as organic chemicals and gasses escape from the foam. It's called off-gassing, and to be honest, it's barely noticeable in the Nectar Premium Hybrid. I opened up the mattress, cracked the windows and disappeared downstairs for a few hours, and by the time I returned, there was no trace of it whatsoever.
- Nectar Premier Hybrid, from £620 - buy here
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Performance
Nectar is a bit fortunate because, for the last eight years or so, the majority of my sleep has taken place on landlord-provided mattresses, which range in comfort from mediocre to back-breaking.
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That means that any mattress of this ilk was likely to get a thumbs up from me, but I wasn't prepared for quite how comfortable it was, even from the get-go; there was no two-week period of discomfort, as you sometimes get with new mattresses.
And I'm not the only one who loves it: my partner has also remarked on how comfortable my mattress is (and she already owns her own, so doesn't have my low standards). Friends who have borrowed my bed for the evening have echoed the same sentiments, too.
It's also worth saying that I have tested out other mattresses for Sun Selects, and few have impressed me like this one, especially when value for money is taken into account.
The only thing it doesn't excel at is temperature control. I'm quite a hot sleeper, and I don't think that the Nectar Premier is as good at regulating my heat as my Simba Hybrid Mattress Topper. However, it's certainly better than a cheap mattress, and I don't get as warm as I used to on my old mattress pre-topper.
Also, because it only measures at around 6.5 on the firmness scale, it's not suited for stomach sleepers — if that's you, you'll want to search for something a bit firmer.
How does the Nectar Premier Hybrid mattress compare to models from other brands?
Nectar has two primary opponents in the bed-in-a-box world, from where I'm standing; Emma and Simba. Both have garnered excellent reviews at Sun Selects and stand among our favourite brands.
While the Premier mattress is positioned at the top of Nectar's range, it's worth pointing out that it's a more affordable brand than Emma and Simba, and as a result, the amount of technology packed into the Premier Hybrid isn't quite on par with Emma and Simba's flagships.
The Premier Hybrid is more comparable to the Simba Hybrid Pro, which clocks in at £959 for a double when you take into account Simba's almost-constant 40% off sale.
Like the Nectar Premier Hybrid, it's 28cm thick, and it has a similar number of layers (the Simba has seven, and the Nectar has eight).
When it comes to memory foam, the Nectar has 4cm, while the Simba has 2.5cm of Simbatex foam, which apparently provides 30x better airflow than standard memory foam.
The Simba does have some other advantages — the top cover is removable and washable, for instance, which isn't true of the Nectar.
Where the Nectar comes into its own is the service: you get a lifetime warranty, which far outdoes what is offered by competitors, while the trial period is a full year, compared to Simba's 200 nights.
How much does the Nectar Premier Hybrid cost?
Prices for the Nectar Premier Hybrid are as follows:
- Single - £1,549
- Double - £1,849
- King - £1,999
- Super King - £2,149
Admittedly, all those digits look a bit nauseating, but Nectar runs near-constant, very generous sales, meaning that you only end up paying between 40% and 60% of that price.
Currently, you can get 60% off, meaning that prices range between £620 for a single and £860 for a Super King. That places the Premier Hybrid firmly at the more affordable end of the luxury mattress spectrum.
You can also pay in instalments using DivideBuy and Klarna, meaning you can pay in a way that works for you.
The verdict: is the Nectar Premier Mattress worth buying?
As you can tell from this 5/5 Nectar Premier mattress review, I'd absolutely recommend it.
While it doesn't have all the bells and whistles of more expensive mattresses, it packs an impressive amount of technology and provides incredible value for money considering its reasonable price tag.
It doesn't stand out for any particular thing — instead, it turns its hand moderately well to everything you want from a modern mattress. And I've slept all the better for it.
