Nectar Premier Hybrid Mattress: is it better than the basic?

The Nectar Premier Hybrid Mattress is the well-known bed in a box brand’s most advanced – and most expensive – model. As a hybrid, it combines memory foam with springs, offering medium-firm support that’s best for back and side sleepers. 

When you first lie down on this mattress, it feels firm, but you wake up cradled by the ‘hug’ that comes with traditional memory foam mattresses. I tested it over a period of five weeks, and while it took some adjusting to, I have found it comfortable, and supportive, helping me get eight hours of sleep a night.

In our guide to the best mattresses, we rated the Nectar Original as best for back pain. So how does this higher-end offering compare?

Product specs:

Who does the Nectar Premier Hybrid Mattress suit?

It's always hard to weigh up the pros and cons when deciding whether it’s worth the spend, but I have tried to break down some features and characteristics that might help you decide if the Nectar Premier Hybrid is for you.

This mattress will suit anyone who prefers a firm mattress and suffers from aches and pains in their back. On its website, Nectar rates it a 6-6.5 out of 10, making it a medium-firm mattress, but I would put it at 7/10. 

If you want something with good eco-credentials, it also ticks that box as it's carbon neutral. By this, I mean that the carbon footprint of the manufacturing process has been offset and the foam used within the mattresses is non-toxic, free from heavy metals, harmful dyes, or ozone-depleting chemicals. While foam mattresses like this one aren't as eco-friendly as those made from latex, such as the Avocado Green mattress the fact that the mattress is made of non-toxic materials makes it more environmentally friendly than some mattresses on the market. 

On a similar note, I like the fact that any mattresses returned during the 365-day trial are refurbed, re-sold, or donated to the British Heart Foundation. This year-long trial and the ‘forever’ warranty are a testament to Nectar’s confidence in the quality of its product.

It will also suit you if you share the bed with a restless sleeper, or if you’re the restless sleeper. The motion control technology helps limit how much movement is felt during the night.

It is designed for all body types, but suits back and side sleepers best. It also suits a range of bedframes: divan-style, platform, traditional, or box spring. You can read our guide to the best memory foam mattresses and if you prefer to sleep on your front, firm mattresses will be better for your back as they keep your hips lifted and spine aligned.

Setting up the Nectar Premier Hybrid Mattress

Unboxing this mattress is definitely a two-person job. It arrived in a box with a small cutting tool, and the instructions said to unwrap the plastic cover rather than cutting through the layers, presumably to avoid damaging the mattress cover. 

This took me around fifteen minutes, as there were a lot of layers, and I was doing it alone. I didn’t want to place the mattress on my bedframe while it was still vacuum packed just in case it was too heavy, with too much weight concentrated in one spot on my (brand new) bedframe. 

But once I got close to unwrapping it, the mattress started to expand and became really hard to move around. I have a four-poster bed, which made it more difficult to get the mattress in place around the posts, but learn from my mistake and make sure you unwrap it on the bedframe so it can expand in situ.

I left it for 3-4 hours to decompress. For the first few days, it did have a ‘new mattress’ smell, but this is normal and soon goes away. I ventilated the bedroom and used an air purifier in the meantime to help reduce the smell.

What is the Nectar Premier Hybrid Mattress like to sleep on?

Comfort

As I've mentioned above, the mattress is firm but also has contouring memory foam, so you sink into it. This feeling of being ‘hugged’ by the mattress felt very different from my previous mattress from UK-based mattress company REM-Fit, and I wasn’t a huge fan of it at first. It feels hotel bed-quality, with a thickness of 28cm, which is a few cm higher than my old mattress, which was 25cm.

Nectar says that during the first month, you may find the mattress firm, and suggests focusing on how well you are sleeping. I echo this, and I firmly recommend persisting through the 30-day trial phase that Nectar recommends. Avoid if you like something ultra firm or cloud-like softness, as this is in between.

Support 

Two family members tried the mattress when staying for two nights. One liked the soft layer of memory foam, which was supportive of her bad back, but said they would want to sleep on it for longer to be sure.

Cooling features

The other family member said that it was a touch too firm for them and that the memory foam caused some overheating. I personally haven't found this to be the case, and the mattress does have a cooling cover and springs that will help to distribute air as you move. We are testing this in the winter and may have found different results in hot weather.

Edge support

The mattress has received some criticism online for its edge support, and I agree that this is an area where the Nectar Premier Hybrid has room for improvement. It feels a little unstable when sitting on the edge for more than just a few seconds, so this is something to be mindful of, especially for anyone who is elderly or experiences mobility issues.

Motion isolation

The mattress is designed for minimal motion transfer so that you can move around as much as necessary without waking your partner. My friend and I tested this with a glass of water at the foot of the bed and found that the glass stayed in place as my friend stood and walked on the spot at the top of the bed. 

She was able to move around the mattress without disturbing the water, but, as we'd expected, as she came nearer to the glass, her movement caused the water to move around a lot and the glass became very wobbly.

Cleaning 

The instructions only mention spot-cleaning the mattress cover with a mild detergent or hand soap, and it would have been nice to have the option to throw it in the washing machine every few months to give it a refresh. I usually use a mattress protector from Coop, which adds a lot of cushioning, but left it off so that I could review the mattress properly. The mattress can only be rotated, rather than flipped, too, so to keep the mattress in good condition in the long term, I’ll be rotating it every few months.

Weight test

The soft top layer means that the weights sink into the mattress noticeably. Because of the memory foam, the mattress does have indentations left on it after having some weight on it, but it bounces back quickly. 

Construction and design

The mattress has eight layers, including two layers of springs, two layers of foam and a cooling cover. Having only tested the mattress for a period of six weeks, I can’t comment on its durability, but I have been impressed with the quality. It took some adjusting to, as I've said – despite my initial impressions, which were lukewarm, to say the least, I have come to really like this mattress and will be keeping it.

Is the Nectar Premier Hybrid Mattress worth it?

Given the quality of the mattress, I think this is an opportunity to nab a high-end mattress at more of a mid-range price. It has a higher depth and more layers than my previous mattress, and this makes it feel supportive and luxurious. The quality of the materials on the cover also feel well made. And, most importantly, I have been sleeping really well on it. 

As well as being a good price for the caliber of mattress you get, it’s also a winner in terms of convenience. Nectar offers old mattress removal, and you can even pay extra to have the mattress delivered to the room of your choice, which counts for a lot. 

About our review – and our reviewer

Millie’s sleep stats
Sleep position: Side 
Insomnia? No 
Sleep problems: None
Average sleep time: 7–8 hours/night

Millie Hurst is Homes & Gardens’ Solved section editor, with three years of experience writing and editing for a number of homes brands at Future, from Ideal Home to Livingetc. Millie has previously tested a range of products, for example, she has reviewed mattresses as well as appliances, such as air purifiers and air fryers.

She believes that investing in your sleep space with the highest quality mattress, pillows, and bedding you can afford is money well spent. Especially when it comes to mattresses, as these are investment pieces that aren't going to be replaced frequently. Millie takes pride in making her bed look as much like a hotel as possible, with always at least four pillows, a comforter folded back, and additional blankets and throw pillows. A pillow spray is also a must.

Her review of the Nectar Premier Hybrid Mattress is based on her experience with the product, provided by the brand free of charge. She slept on the mattress for a month before writing this review and plans to keep the mattress, which means we can return to this review later down the line with more comments on its performance over time.