I tested Nectar's most affordable £199 Classic Memory Foam mattress - this is what my husband and I thought of the budget buy

I put the affordable Nectar Classic Memory Foam Mattress to the test to see how it compares to the best mattresses and best budget mattresses on the market.

In a nutshell

At £199 for a single and £449 for a double, the Nectar Classic Memory Foam Mattress is an affordable mattress. However, after testing, I do think you get what you pay for here.

It's dubbed a medium-firm mattress, but I definitely found it on the firmer side, feeling it lacked cushioning compared to the equally budget-friendly mattress that's usually on my and my husband's bed: the Simba Mattress Simbatex Cool, which is £399 for a double.

I didn't feel this Nectar mattress gave me enough cushioning around my hip when I was sleeping on my side. Sleeping on my back, I found that it was comfortable around my hips and lower back, but lacked support around my shoulders/chest. This caused me to toss and turn a lot more than usual.

Plus, although its cover claims to be cooling, I didn't notice that I slept any cooler.

However, the Nectar Classic Memory Foam Mattress does excel at motion isolation. I hardly moved when my (heavier than me) husband lay down and got back up off the mattress. And the 365-night sleep trial is one of the longest I've come across; that should be plenty of time ot test out and see if this mattress is for you.

Nectar Classic Memory Foam Mattress

Specifications

• Type: Foam
• Construction materials: Cover, dynamic support layer, pressure-reliving memory foam, 7-zone supportive base, positioning base material
• Sizes: Single, Small Double, Double, King, Super King
• Tensions available: Medium-firm
• Height: 25cm
• Side handles: Yes
• Flip or rotate: Rotate
• Manufacturers sleep trial: 365 nights

1. Comfort

I used to be a somewhat difficult sleeper. Without my beloved pillow and ultra-comfortable mattress-and-topper combo, I could never manage an 8-hour snooze without waking up with a sore neck. My husband? He has a hidden talent for being able to catch a few winks wherever he possibly can. Classic.

Upon first sleeping on the Nectar Classic Memory Foam Mattress, we barely noticed a difference between this mattress and our usual mattress, the Simba Mattress Simbatex Cool, which, by the way, is ultra-comfortable and, interestingly enough, has a lower price tag of just £399 for a double.

However, after about a week, the differences started to flag: we'd wake up with the occasional neck ache; I'd wake in the night needing to change sleep positions ASAP. As someone who tests mattresses, I know that this can be normal and you've got to power through as your body adapts.

But now it has been over a month, and I can confidently say that as a back and side sleeper, I did notice a difference in comfort. Sleeping on the Nectar Classic, my pressure points don't feel as cushioned as they felt when cradled with my previous setup. It lives up to its medium-firm name, particularly when it comes to cushioning (or lack thereof!), and some might feel that it's actually on the firmer side of the scale. I agree.

It's definitely not one of those mattresses that your entire body will sink into. In fact, I almost felt like my body was on top of the mattress at all times.

When sleeping on my side, I found there wasn't enough padding around my hip, and my hips felt unaligned. When I slept on my back, my upper back would sink into the mattress (probably not as much of an issue if you're not female!).

My husband, also a side/back sleeper, felt some minor neck discomfort initially. Now, it's just his shoulders that are troubling him, as this is arguably the heaviest part of his body. However, since tossing one of his pillows, he claims that it's a lot more comfortable. So it's worth rejigging your setup if you're feeling the same way.

We are slowly getting used to this mattress's firmer feel as the nights go by, but by no means was this as easy a transition as we thought it would be. It's not that it's an uncomfortable mattress; it's just not the level of cushioning that we're used to, which means that our pressure points are feeling a little unloved at the moment.

2. Motion isolation

When it comes to a mattress, motion isolation is a hugely important factor for my husband and I, as our toddler is like clockwork when it comes to climbing into our bed at 2 am on the dot.

My husband also tends to wake before both of us, and I did find that I hardly felt him move. In fact, I didn't move at all when he rolled off the bed, which is impressive considering he is at least 20kg heavier than me.

The same goes for him — if I'm tossing and turning, or I wake in the night for a wee, he's never woken up by his body moving.

3. Responsiveness

With its medium-firm comfort rating comes an ideal responsiveness. I pushed this mattress as hard as I could with my hand, and while it did manage to push through a layer or two, when I removed my hand, it bounced back with immediate effect. Impressive.

Don't get me wrong: it's not exactly one of those mattresses that will make you feel like you're sinking into it. But, on the other hand, you also won't struggle to roll off it. Responsiveness has its perks, and depending on the way that you sleep or any sleep issues you suffer from, you'll either love a responsive mattress or hate it.

To be honest: for me, this mattress could've done with being a tad less responsive, so that you're not lying on top of it and do slightly feel like you're being cushioned, beyond just the heavier points of your body.

But, this responsiveness also means that this mattress is very easy to move around on. Even with three people in the bed!

4. Temperature regulation

Both our last mattress and this one claim to be cooling. I didn't particularly rave about the cooling effects of our last mattress at all - it wasn't any warmer, but definitely wasn't noticeably colder than average. The same goes for the Nectar Classic Memory Foam Mattress.

I wouldn't buy this mattress specifically for its cooling claims, but even throughout several heatwaves, I didn't feel like the mattress was unbearably hot.

5. Edge support

I did have higher hopes for this mattress's edge support. Mostly because it's a big-name mattress brand that you think would nail something as simple as this. I was wrong.

There have been too many occasions where I have almost fully rolled off this mattress because of its lack of edge support. Also, admittedly, my toddler (like most) prefers it when I have as minimal moving space as possible whilst I sleep.

Even just sitting on the edge of the mattress, you can see just how much it sinks.

6. Sleep trial

As with all Nectar mattresses, this one comes wrapped in a generous 365-night trail. This means that should you really not get on with your mattress, you can return it. They say that it takes roughly 30 nights to get used to a new mattress, so do bear this in mind before making any quick decisions.

Still, this takes the worry out of buying a mattress you're yet to sit on. Instead of sitting on it in a showroom, you can sleep on it with your favourite pillow and cozy duvet to give it a true test.

7. Ease of care

I was a little disappointed that the Nectar's cooling cover isn't removable. I do think that this should be pretty much standard now with most mattresses, as cleaning your mattress is such an important job. Especially in the summer when you're sweating all night long unless you're lucky enough to own an AC unit.

I do own a much-loved Emma mattress protector that I always make sure to put on my bed before changing my sheets. And some people may already own a good mattress protector, but I think it's also handy if a mattress comes with a removable cover, should there be any accidents - or generally just for ease of cleaning.

Other than this, this mattress is designed to be rotated instead of flipped, and conveniently enough, it has handles to do this job with ease.

8. Delivery

Delivery was fast and fuss-free. I received a text regarding shipping the day before it was due. They gave me a 3-hour window and then called 30 minutes before delivery.

It was dropped into my hallway by the delivery men, as they kindly asked where I wanted it. Overall, the mattress delivery process was fairly simple.

Once dragged upstairs by my husband (I tried, but there was just no way I was going to be able to shift that box solo!), we lumped it onto our bed frame. It was folded in half and rolled into the box, which made it a lot easier to navigate around our furniture.

In the box came a tool to cut the mattress open. This was done with ease, and there were two layers — one to keep the mattress folded and rolled and the other, which has suctioned the air from the mattress to keep it compact. The second you cut this, it expands almost to full size. Impressive.

I did, despite it looking ready to sleep on, leave it all day without making the bed.

Other than that, there was a strong chemical smell once we unrolled this mattress. It wasn't unbearably strong, but it was noticeable. Around 48 hours later, it was gone.

9. Value for money

The Nectar Classic Memory Foam mattress is the brand's most budget-friendly model, and prices start at £199 for a single and £449 for a double, which is very affordable.

However, it has competition at that price point, and there are a couple of recent launches to the mattress market that I do think offer better value for money based on my testing experience.

First, there's the Simba Mattress Simbatex Cool, which I currently sleep on and find ultra-comfortable. It has more cushioning than the Nectar Classic Memory Foam, and a lower price tag of just £399 for a double.

Then there's the DreamCloud Hybrid Mattress, which we currently rate as the best budget mattress we've tested thanks to its impressive all-round performance. A double used to be £525, but DreamCloud has just reduced the RRP to £499 for a double, which makes it extremely competitive.

Nectar's remains the longest sleep trial on offer, at 365 nights, but, personally, I would opt for one of these other two budget buys if I were shopping for myself.

How I tested

Annie Collyer

Hi, I'm Annie. I've spent the past seven years testing all sorts of homeware products, from mattresses to vacuums and everything in between. I'm also Mum to an almost 3-year-old who often does her fair share of mattress testing, too, since she sleeps between my husband and me every night of the week. For this review, we tested the king-size Nectar Original Mattress on a wooden slatted bed base.

My sleep stats:

Sleep position: Back/side
Tension preference: Medium-firm
Sleep problems: None

In putting the Nectar Original Mattress through Ideal Home's mattress testing process, I considered the nine factors that we deem vital to any mattress purchase.

I tested the mattress for comfort, motion isolation, responsiveness, temperature regulation, and edge support. This means that my husband and I, (plus quite frequently my almost 3-year-old and dog!) slept on the mattress for over a month before I wrote my review.

I also took into consideration ease of care, any sleep trials available, the delivery process, and its value for money before writing my own review and giving this mattress a star rating.