Today our Ultimate Dreams 13 inch gel arrived - rolled up in a pretty heavy box. It is a twin xl and is currently decompressing in our bedroom - it has been about 2 hours and so far it is still short of a true twin XL size by 2 inches - it measures 78 inches ( and I did measure from the outward bulge on the short end not even the surface area - which would be closer to 77 inches ) - I will wait for complete decompression and than measure again- this is not a true issue for me - I am short, hubby is short so we’ll be fine even with an inch less or so…
The mattress is on an adjustable bed frame and together with the 13 inches we now have a HIGH bed
The initial impression (at 2 hours out of wrap ):
It arrived quickly - VERY fast - we ordered with Amazon which didn’t qualify us for free pillow but offers us the option to ship the mattress back for less $$ if we hate it (my husband ordered - I would have gone with the direct order as I know that we will be keeping this thing even if just as a guest bed - who wants to wrestle a mattress back into some kind of box especially at this price point!)
the top surface fabric is a valboa type material on the twin XL ( like they use in baby toys and luxurious nursing pillows) - I am not sure how this fabric will last over time (?) - it feels like a crime to cover it with a protector - it is so very soft. There are also two faint blue stains on the white surface - doesn’t bother me much but a bit of a bummer- and who chooses white fabric for the top of a mattress? …The sides are a heavier duty artificial suede quilted fabric in grey. No handles and it is heavy - a good sign as far as quality of the foam goes…
The mattress has a faint smell - which is typical to memory foam - my toppers all came with a slight smell and this mattress is not bad at all in comparison ( BUT have you ever un-packed a first generation tempurpedic topper? - THAT is a smell that will last you quite some time!)- I know I might sleep on this mattress tonight and I don’t think the odor will bother me too badly
Right now it doesn’t feel anything like a tempurpedic cloud luxe - I didn’t expect a " clone" at this price point but I want to mention it as there are many references on the forum here between the two mattresses. I do not mean this in a positive or negative way - I will be able to elaborate more once I actually spend some nights on this mattress. This is merely a first impression. I have slept on a relatively new tempur cloud on vacation for an extended period of time and I liked it - it will be interesting to see how this mattress compares.
My main objective was to find a soft memory foam mattress that has a faster, softer and bouncier memory foam layer on the top and support on the bottom - I am a 130is lb side and occasional belly sleeper - we own a tempurpedic topper that is first generation and I did not like it in the least. I have neck and back pain and like to find a mattress that is super soft but also supportive enough. Right now I am sleeping on a foam core mattress with a 2 inch memory foam layer of unknown density ( think cheap kids mattress)- I removed the mattress cover and added a 3 inch 4lb memory foam layer on the top plus covered it with a cotton mattress cover which makes for an “almost” comfortable bed for me.
first night on the new mattress ( ONE night so I will have to report back about long term experiences)
I woke up without back pain ( no small achievement for a mattress and a first night - I have tried many)- I can feel my shoulder but it is not painful - most likely I need a new pillow but I want to wait until I adjust to the mattress first- so far so good! I did not sleep warmer than usual ( but then it is winter here and the house is cold at night). The bed felt great and soft while lounging and yes - you can put it on an adjustable base - it is high and the mattress will lift off without weight on it but that is to be expected … I did not have issues with stability at the corners - some were complaining about a " falling off" feeling - I sleep on a twin xl and it felt like any other memory foam mattress- safe and secure.
I want to offer brief a comparison between the Tempurpedic cloud lux and the ultimate dreams 13 inch- I have now slept on both and while the ultimate dreams is not broken in yet there are some initial observations…
the Tempurpedic cloud lux: you will feel initial softness of a softer, bouncier, faster reacting memory foam when you first lay down and then the famous contouring sink in feeling of the denser Tepurpedic material below - it is hard to describe and so far I have not felt any memory foam that does exactly that. Tempurpedic foam hugs every contour and while I am not fond of the classic tempur foam feeling due to the " sink into a valley I have to fight myself out of" and firm feeling- the cloud takes some of this discomfort away for me by offering the faster responding, softer layer on the top. It is an almost weightless feeling even on the side.
The Ultimate dreams is a very different feeling but still very comfortable - it has gel foam on the top which is less body contouring in my opinion but should offer better temperature dispersal, when you press into it it bounces back quickly - closer to latex than a Tempurpedic classic foam if that makes sense? Hip and shoulder will still sink in but I can’t feel anything close to the body hugging precision of a Tempurpedic foam nor can I feel the second layer ( foam is not broken in yet though) - the gel foam reacts and sleeps differently.
This is still a very nice mattress and yes - it is soft - it might feel a bit firmer than the cloud lux though because of the different properties of the gel foam. For someone like me who is looking for an alternative to regular, classic memory foam ( that will make you sink in and makes turning around slightly more difficult) you will like this mattress - it is soft yet still supportive. It " gives" in the areas a side sleeper needs it but you won’t wake up in pudding … The build quality is good but not the best I have seen - I wish they would have gone with a different surface material - the valboa might be soft and stretchy but I somewhat doubt its resilience over time- if this mattress needs to be moved I recommend a very good cover - one sharp corner and you will rip the surface fabric.
There are worlds between this mattress and a tempurpedic - I think you should expect that - if you want a replica you will be disappointed. However - if you are like me, looking for a more affordable comfortable, soft yet supportive memory foam mattress you might be very happy with the ultimate dreams. I have spend months testing mattresses in stores and even hotels and the ultimate dreams is VERY nice in comparison - it compares to the better gel memory foam mattresses offered for more than double the price in the mattress stores ( I would say it surpasses them in material quality and feel ). I highly recommend this mattress and the manufacturer for their excellent customer service.
I think it is a good value and this mattress might appeal to many people ( not so sure about really really heavy folks as it IS a softer type) - on the other hand maybe a less comfortable mattress might be better depending on how long you want your guests to stay - they might never want to leave lol…
after 3 days the top layers are starting to break in and soften a bit more- the support is still great but now it is starts feeling like the soft bed I was craving - the foam is just a bit softer now and more responsive- still bounces back quite fast (which I like) -good news for me - I am sleeping better and my shoulder stopped complaining. Keep in mind that this is not the mattress for you if you are in the market for a firmer feel.
I am happy with this mattress even in comparison with the tempurpedic cloud lux - the ultimate dreams feels different but makes my back happy and gives me a good nights sleep without aches and pains - it achieves support and softness with slightly different materials. In the end the only thing that matters is a good night sleep.
We’ll be buying a second mattress for my husband’s side (maybe a spindle latex) and still have money left over from what we had saved up for one tempurpedic!.. Thank you mattress underground !!!
I am still sleeping on the ultimate dreams but with a bit of “enhancement” …
I was having problem with side sleeping - for whatever reason I was waking with pressure points at my hip and resulting back pain and even worse shoulder and neck issues ( even after adjusting with different pillows) … On paper the comfort layers should be plenty to cushion me - I am not a heavy weight after all but that is only on paper. In reality the mattress is soft but not super body conforming - I sink in but then my shoulder and hip hit resistance - my hip sinks in but more like in a conventional mattress than in a memory foam ( and I want the body hugging feeling of memory foam)- I contribute this to the layers above the memory foam like the cover and whatever barrier they need to put in and/or the gel foam (??) - I wish this mattress had a zipper to investigate - one thing I learned is to always buy a mattress with a removable cover …
Bottom line - I needed more cushion …
Problem was solved with a 2 inch 5lb memory foam topper from dreamfoam. The dramfoam topper is- in reality- not quite a 5lb topper - more like a 4lb some oz ( unfortunately I found that most of the toppers you can buy are a bit optimistic about their lb ratings …) it is very nice and soft - and body conforming - it gives me that aaaahhhhh - feeling when getting into bed and keeps my shoulder and hip happy.
I also tried the 4lb 3 inch topper ( made the mattress very high and was a bit overkill- definitely comfortable though but with less support )
With this enhancement I love my bed - in fact I tested the tempurpedic cloud beds today again and found them somewhat lacking
I had to change my pillow because I am now sinking in more with the topper ( easy to do with the new shredded adjustable latex pillow) but I am sleeping very well now - the mattress is continuing to break in so maybe I will be able to do without the topper in the future but that thing is so comfy that I might keep it anyways …
I have also experimented with building my own mattress out of the extra toppers I have accumulated and found that the 3 inch 4lb topper over the 2 inch 5lb topper over a foam mattress is also wonderful if you like the body hugging feeling of memory foam and are not prone to overheating in which case you might need something else besides a sheet to cover the pile of layers- definitely a very budget friendly option- my oldest son stole my prototype …
