First and foremost, thank you to all who respond. My wife and I are in the greater Detroit area and have been sleeping on a plush pillowtop Serta for the past 5 1/2 years. But we can spend close to half of the day (or night depending on how you look at it) in it, with me sitting upright and her on her side while on our laptops.
We are both side-sleepers, and I weight about 240 (not nice of me to mention my wife’s weight), we like to have the softness but still have support to keep us pain-free for a LONG time.
Tempur Pedic sounds like it might do us justice, but I can’t imagine shelling out that much for a mattress even if it does have that long of a warranty. I was looking at Simmons Beautyrest Classic Elie and Restonic’s Garland Firm/Plush Eurotop King. The Beautyrest caught my eye due to the pocketed coils, and Restonic because of their 15 year warranty.
Budget: we’d like to keep it under $1,600 if possible.
One last thing. We have a king bed upstairs, but in order to get a king mattress up there it has to be “curled” and bent. The reason: The stairway is at least a sharp 90 degree turn from the kitchen to the bottom of the staircase, and a sharp incline to boot.
Thank you for any input.
Hi Rydray,
I think that post #10 here and the links it leads to may be helpful and hopefully help you avoid most of the lower value choices that you will enounter such as the major brands and most mass market outlets and chain stores that sell them.
As you can see … finding the best manufacturers and retailers in your area is a much more important step than trying to decide on a specific mattress because it will dramatically increase your odds of choosing a mattress that better meets your needs and preferences and also has the quality/durability and value you would want.
Some of the better options or possibilities in the Detroit area I’m aware of are in post #2 here.
This would be no problem with a foam core mattress but if the mattress has an innerspring then it would depend on the innerspring design. Many shouldn’t be bent more than about 20 degrees or so while some (such as those that can be used on an adjustable bed) would be more “bendable” so make sure you check with the retailer to make sure which it is if you go in the direction of innersprings. King box springs or foundations only come in narrower split versions (or the type that can folded up and be shipped through UPS) so this wouldn’t present any problems.
Phoenix
Thank you Phoenix, we’ll try to make it to Mattress To Go this weekend. Will update afterwards.
First of all I would like to advise you that you do not need to buy one of the 7 name brands. There are over 300 different mattress manufacturers in the USA and most of them make a great product. Your should know after owning a Serta that it was not so great. Search online for “discount mattress store” in your area. Then go visit about 3 or 4 of them. (Avoid the large national retail stores). The best mattress for you would be a latex rather than visco. Latex will be more durable, cooler and a more natural product. :unsure: Also you should consider purchasing 2 twin XL mattresses to go upstairs. You will probably not notice the crease in the middle.:cheer:
We can’t do latex as my wife is allergic to that. Thank you for the suggestion though. 
And we have been thinking of doing just that in two XL twins. Our backs have been hurting so much this week that we have to find a replacement this weekend.
Hi Rydray1,
Just so you are aware … most people with latex allergies will be fine with a latex mattress depending on the type of allergy. The foam that is made from latex has had the allergens (the surface proteins) removed for the most part unlike other latex products like gloves or condoms or other solid rubber products. There is more about latex allergies in post #2 here.
Of course you may still prefer other materials but for the most part … those with the more common type IV latex allergies will generally be fine with a latex mattress so at least it may still be an option.
Phoenix
Latex mattresses are not the same as latex gloves or condoms. They go through a more extensive processing and in addition the skin does not ever come in contact with the latex. There have been virtually no reports of allergic reactions
to latex mattresses during their 80 year existance. In addition, latex mattresses have the highest consumer satisfaction above all others.