Nectar Ultra Hybrid mattress review 2025
Nectar Ultra Hybrid mattress: review in brief
The Nectar Ultra Hybrid is a luxury bed that combines layers of dense memory foam, foam and innerspring coils to create a bed that cradles and contours to your body, resulting in a body-hugging cozy feel.
It’s the most premium model in Nectar’s four bed line up, boasting an impressive 15” height, extra cooling technology and four layers that provide both support and next-level pressure relief. We’ve tested the Classic, Premium and Luxe Nectar models, so we called in the Ultra Hybrid to see how it compared and whether it was worth an upgrade and maybe even worth a place in this year’s best luxury mattress guide for sleepers who want the most indulgent sleep set up.
Nectar Ultra Hybrid Specs
Type: Hybrid
Materials: Memory foam, foam, coils
Firmness: 6.5 out of 10
Height: 15″
Trial period: 365 nights
Warranty: Lifetime
Price: From $1,499 at Nectar
So, is it the best Nectar mattress we’ve tested? The Nectar Ultra Hybrid starts with a cooling, ultra-soft cover above a 4” layer of memory foam that’s topped with phase change material — a specialist cooling fabric designed to shift heat away from the body. Beneath this is another layer of responsive foam, before 8” of individually wrapped coils.
Alongside data gathered by a testing panel made up of a combination of side, back and stomach sleepers of different heights and weights, I slept on a full size Ultra alongside my husband for a three weeks. We tested this hybrid mattress by assessing its performance across key areas like motion isolation, edge support, comfort, pressure relief and more, while also considering important aspects like its price, customer reviews and trials.
This helps us build up a comprehensive picture for you if you’re deciding whether it’s the right mattress for you and is how we curated this year’s best mattress for all sleepers guide, picking the crème de la crème of mattresses the team has tested.
A detailed insight into my full experience of sleeping on this mattress is below, but if you’re short on time, here’s an overview. Ultimately, the Nectar Ultra Hybrid is a fantastic mattress for side sleepers. All of our testers reported an incredible level of pressure relief when lying on their side, with their hips, shoulders and knees cushioned, creating a cloud-like feeling.
The memory foam, while it’s soft and certainly sinks beneath you, responds to your movements quickly, so you can say goodbye to stubborn body indentations. The layer of coils stop movement from travelling across the bed, which makes it a great choice for couples on different schedules or those bedsharing with children.
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My gripe? It’s a lot softer than I imagined. Nectar markets this mattress as a medium firm, with a rating of 6.5 out of 10 on the firmness scale. After testing, our entire testing team decided it was a lot softer than this, making it unsuitable for back and stomach sleepers.
One stomach sleeper on the Tom’s Guide team noted how she could feel her hips sinking too far straight away, putting excess strain on her spine, and a back sleeper said a similar thing, predicting that the feel of this mattress would cause them back pain.
The combination of phase change material, a cool-to-touch cover and the hybrid structure meant that I slept cool and comfortable night long
While the mattress performed technically well across many areas, excelling in motion isolation and pressure relief, I felt its edge support let it down. In fact, the edges felt so weak that one tester compared it to feeling like a slide. This, with the soft, slippery cover and the height made it a difficult bed to clamber in and out of — fine for me but not ideal for elderly sleepers or those with injuries.
Temperature control, however, was fantastic. I tested the Ultra Hybrid immediately after testing the Nectar Luxe Memory Foam (the model below the Ultra) and felt that the Luxe trapped a bit of heat. I was worried that the Ultra would have the same tendency but the combination of phase change material, a cool-to-touch cover and the hybrid structure meant that both me and my husband slept cool and comfortable night long, even through an early summer heatwave.
At 15″ tall, it certainly has a luxurious feel. While some people prefer a more buoyant bed, with a few of our testers feeling a little claustrophobic because of the sinking memory foam, there’s no doubt that the hugging sensation creates a cozy sleep environment that contours to your body, moulding around you and reducing any pressure.
Ultimately, most side sleepers will find this bed both comfortable and supportive, with the zoned responsive foam keeping your spine aligned no matter how much you sink in. But we do suggest back and stomach sleepers opt for a firmer option.
Nectar Ultra Hybrid: Price & Trial
- Nectar run an evergreen up to 50% off sale
- A queen typically sells for $1,999
- It comes with an industry-leading 365-night trial and forever warranty
Nectar mattress sales sit at an evergreen 50% off throughout the year. This discount doesn’t fluctuate, but the freebies offered along side it occasionally do.
The standard offer is $599 of bedding for $199, but during peak sales, this is sometimes added to your order for free. With this evergreen discount, a queen Nectar Ultra Hybrid is $1,999, with Nectar calculating its total value (which it is never sold for) at $2,732.
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Here are the prices each size of the Nectar Ultra Hybrid sells for:
- Twin: $1,499
- Twin XL: $1,799
- Full: $1,899
- Queen: $1,999
- King: $2,299
- Cal King: $2,299
- Split King: $3,598
The Nectar Ultra is the most premium mattress in Nectar’s line up, sitting above the Classic, Premium and Luxe options. So, while these prices definitely reflect a higher standard of mattress, they’re in line with many of the high end luxury beds.
For example, the Helix Midnight Luxe is a comparable hybrid bed, which we deem to be the best mattress for side sleepers, and it usually sells for $1,899 at Helix for a queen (MSRP of $2,373.80.) And, the best hybrid mattress overall, the Saatva Classic is $2,099 for a queen. So you’re not paying over the odds for the quality of mattress you’re getting.
Plus, you get great benefits. Nectar doesn’t disappoint with an industry leading 365-night trial, lifetime warranty and free shipping and returns. Saatva matches the forever warranty, year-long trial and free shipping, but falls slightly short on returns where the brand charge a $99 processing fee, while Helix only offers 100 nights to make up your mind and a limited lifetime warranty.
But Saatva does offer White Glove Delivery, removing your old mattress and setting up your new bed for free. If you want this service from Nectar, you’ll be looking at paying an extra $199.
Nectar Ultra Hybrid mattress: Design
- At 15” tall, it’s 1” taller than the Nectar Luxe
- 4 layers of memory foam, foam and coils
- Cover made with cooling fibers and an antimicrobial treatment
The Nectar Ultra Hybrid is an impressive 15” tall. That’s a significant depth which will help with pressure relief, but might just be too tall for some. Usually, 12-14” is seen as an optimum depth for practicality, pressure relief and support, but the extra inch gives this bed a truly indulgent feel, living up to its luxury expectations.
We start off with a cooling cover in an ultra-soft fabric made with cool-to-touch materials with antimicrobial properties, designed to keep you both cool and fresh with its breathability. During testing, I loved the silky feel of this cover, but it did prove a little too slippery for most of my bed sheets.
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Beneath the cover is 4” of memory foam, topped with phase change material. This tech is often found in the best cooling mattresses and it’s designed to move heat away from the body to cooler areas of the mattress.
This substantial layer of memory foam relieves pressure, moulding to your body while beneath it, lies 3” of responsive support foam. This has three ergonomic zones to provide extra support at the hips, shoulders and back.
Despite the mattress’s softer than usual feel (more on that later), this layer ensures your body and spine remain aligned to prevent pain or poor posture. And, similar to this year’s best memory foam mattresses, we also noticed that while the foam was very impressionable, it bounced back quickly thanks to this adaptive and responsive layer.
Next come the coils. The 8” individually wrapped coils not only help to isolate motion (which it does very well,) but also provide robust support. It also adds to the overall cool comfort of the mattress, letting airflow throughout the bed. Nectar say these coils reinforce the edge support, but our experience differed, finding the edges lacking stability.
Beneath the coils is 1” of foundational foam for stability and durability, and it’s finished off with a heavy-duty bottom cover made with a shift resistant fabric. Included on this mattress are two handles sewn into the sides, which my husband and I found incredibly helpful when trying to move this substantial bed.
Nectar Ultra Hybrid mattress: Comfort & Support
- Nectar rate the Ultra Hybrid as a 6.5 out of 10 (medium-firm) for feel
- Excellent pressure relief for side sleepers
- Not enough support for back and stomach sleepers
The Nectar Ultra Hybrid has been designed to suit all sleeping positions, with a medium-firm, 6.5 out of 10, feel, so I was expecting it to have a similar feel to the best medium-firm mattresses we’ve tested this year.
However, our testing panel disagreed with this rating. Made up of side, back and stomach sleepers, our expert testers all agreed that the Nectar Ultra Hybrid is a lot softer than they had imagined. This seems to be reflected in some customer reviews, too, but more on that later.
As primarily a stomach sleeper, I don’t think I could get comfortable on this mattress
The 4” of memory foam sinks beneath you, contouring every bit of your body and preventing any pressure from building up. While this offers fantastic comfort for those sleeping on their side who need soft support around the shoulders, hips and knees, I found that while sleeping on my back or stomach, my hips sunk too far into the mattress, causing strain on her spine and preventing proper alignment.
“I could tell it would give me back pain. As primarily a stomach sleeper, I don’t think I could get comfortable on this mattress,” Ruth Jones said, a member of the Tom’s Guide testing team. The lead tester’s friend, a back sleeper with pain in her shoulders, felt a similar way when she tried the mattress, immediately knowing she couldn’t sleep on something that soft.
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However, I enjoyed the level of sink the Ultra provided and didn’t feel as though my spine and body were ever out of alignment. This is when I could feel just how effective the innerspring coils are. The cradling around my shoulders was exceptional, and I found she fell asleep quickly, feeling cozy every night. It’s soft, but ultimately still supported.
As a side sleeper, the more sink around my pressure points the better. And the Nectar Ultra Hybrid definitely delivered on that front
I love a cozy bed. As a side sleeper, the more sink around my pressure points the better. And the Nectar Ultra Hybrid definitely delivered on that front. However, there were times I was frustrated with the softness, feeling as if moving around and changing positions were a struggle and sometimes found the hugging feeling a little claustrophobic.
Despite this softness, I was were, in general, impressed with the feel of the memory foam. It truly is indulgent and we think light weight side sleepers, elderly people who need softer support, or those who love that traditional ‘hugging’ feeling will find this mattress a worthwhile, luxury investment.
Also, sleepers with injuries will find this gentle support comfortable. One of the testing panel has an injured shoulder and found that because the memory foam contoured so well, he could actually sleep on his bad side.
If you’re looking for a luxury hybrid that is a little firmer, I would suggest considering the DreamCloud Hybrid instead, a bed we voted as the best mattress in a box this year. While it may initially feel a little too firm, our testing panel found that once they had slept on it for a week or so, it became very cozy. Plus, you’re looking at a much more affordable price point. Read our DreamCloud mattress review to find out more.
Pressure relief: 4.5 out of 5
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Nectar Ultra Hybrid mattress: Delivery & set-up
- Free fast shipping within 1-2 days in the US
- It comes boxed and it takes 24-72 hours to fully expand
- But you can sleep on the mattress as soon as you unbox it
Similar to DreamCloud, all Nectar mattresses are delivered vacuum sealed and rolled, meaning they can be quickly delivered to your home and manoeuvred easily into your bedroom.
While after unpacking a Nectar mattress, it generally takes 24-72 hours for it to fully expand, they do expand quickly, meaning you can sleep on it straight away.
The Ultra Hybrid came to us shipped flat so we weren’t able to see the expansion process or note whether there was any obvious off-gassing. Do note, this isn’t the norm. If you order the Nectar Ultra Hybrid, it will be delivered boxed.
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However, we have unboxed many Nectar mattresses, including the original model for our Nectar Classic mattress review, as well as the Premier and the Luxe, so, going off past experience, we’re confident predicting that off-gassing would be very minimal if noticeable at all. We’ve always found unboxing Nectar mattresses easy and practical.
Standard shipping is quick and free. If you live alone or need a little extra help setting your mattress up, opting for the White Glove service for $199 would be a good idea. This way, your old mattress will be removed and your new mattress will be unboxed, unwrapped and set up for you. It’s a heavy mattress, so do consider upgrading if you haven’t got enough hands on deck.
Delivery & set-up: 4 out of 5
Nectar Ultra Hybrid mattress: performance
- Stops movement from travelling across the bed
- The support doesn’t extend to the edges of the bed
- It sleeps temperature neutral
As part of our mattress testing process, we don’t just sleep on the Nectar Ultra Hybrid. Following our mattress methodology, we also perform a series of tests to identify how the new bed performs across areas like motion isolation (the amount of movement that travels across the bed), temperature control (how hot or cold the mattress sleeps) and edge support (the strength of the perimeter of the mattress.) This helps us identify the quality of a mattress and compare it to others we’ve tested.
Motion isolation
I share my bed with my husband and we both have very different sleep schedules. This means I’m used to being woken up multiple times in the night, either as he’s getting home from work or coming to bed later than me. This is why motion isolation, stopping the transfer of movement across the mattress, is essential for them.
We were previously testing the Nectar Luxe Memory Foam mattress, which has exceptional motion isolation thanks to the the dense foam used, so we were slightly apprehensive to move to a hybrid, which can have a little more bounce.
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However, we found the Nectar Ultra Hybrid matched the Luxe in preventing any movement from disrupting our sleep. To test this and compare with other popular mattresses, we placed a wine glass on one side of the bed where someone would usually sleep, and then dropped a 10lbs weight from a 4″ height 25cm away. This is to simulate someone moving around or getting in and out of bed. The wine glass barely wobbled.
To test this further, we dropped the weight from 8” high and again, the wine glass barely wobbled. This proves that the individually wrapped coils are isolating motion well. We also dropped the weight from a height of 12” and, once again, the glass barely moved. Still, we don’t think it’s quite as good as the Luxe Memory Foam, where our lead tester actually managed to jump around a wine glass on the bed without it falling.
Motion isolation: 4.5 out of 5
Temperature control
Our core body temperature drops at night, helping us stay asleep. It then rises naturally in the morning to wake us up. This is why if we overheat at night, we’re likely to wake up, hence why temperature regulation in mattresses is a key feature to look out for.
Memory foam tends to trap some heat, but in the Ultra, the hybrid structure, cooling cover and phase change material does a great job at keeping the mattress temperature neutral so sleepers can stay cool throughout the night.
I usually find it impossible to sleep in the heat, but the Nectar Ultra remained surprisingly cool, even throughout a heatwave
I slept on this bed in a very hot apartment during a heatwave in the UK where temperatures reached up to 27 degrees Celsius which is 80 degrees Fahrenheit.
I usually find it impossible to sleep in the heat, but the Nectar Ultra remained surprisingly cool, even throughout a heatwave. In fact, both and me and my partner both slept soundly with a duvet, without overheating.
The cover is made from ‘cool-to-touch’ fibers, but our testing panel have felt plenty of cooling materials and this one didn’t feel especially cold when you felt it, which led our testers to believe that it was primarily the phase change material responsible for the reliable temperature control.
If you’d prefer an all foam bed but still want the best temperature control, opt for the GhostBed Luxe Cooling mattress. This combines pressure relieving foam with cooling fibers, and it has a true medium-firm feel.
Temperature control: 4.5 out of 5
Edge support
Unlike this year’s best mattresses for couples that we’ve tested, Edge support is where this mattress lets our testing panel down. In fact, one of the team said that “the combination of slippery cover plus weak edges and tall build meant I could basically use it like a slide.”
The combination of slippery cover plus weak edges plus tall build meant I could basically use it like a slide
And it’s true. Usually, the support extends right up to the perimeter of the bed in hybrid mattresses. In this case, it felt like it collapsed beneath any kind of weight, which made getting in and out of the mattress tricky, especially when you’re up against a 15” tall bed.
Because of this, both me and my husband ended up rolling into the middle of the mattress and sinking in. It also made the bed feel smaller because we didn’t feel as though we could confidently sleep against the bed’s edge.
It’s a shame, considering the cheaper model below the Ultra, the Luxe, had some of the best edge support our team had ever tested. But who knows, maybe the memory foam version of the Ultra holds up better around the perimeter.
Edge support: 2 out of 5
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Customer reviews
- 4.1 out of 5 starts from 16 reviews
- Critics say it’s too soft
- Many 5 star reviews say it feels like a cloud and it’s helped their pain
The Nectar Ultra is a relatively new model, released in late 2024, so there aren’t as many reviews as other models. Considering that, a 4.1 rating out of 5 is pretty impressive. Most of the 5 star ratings describe an almost cloud-like feel, with some comparing it to a ‘zero-gravity’ feel.
Many of these rave reviews also mention the easing of pain, attributing this to the soft plushness of the bed combined with the support from the coils.
However, many of the 2 to 3 star reviews mention that it exacerbated some back pain because of how soft the mattress was. Almost all of the lower-rated reviews mention the mattress feeling softer than usual, reflecting our testing panel’s opinion, and this being a disappointment, with some even saying they have returned the mattress and opted for a firmer bed from a competitor.
One review had a similar complaint to mine, saying that because the mattress was so ‘squishy’, her and her partner rolled into the middle of the bed. However, one review said that despite it initially feeling too soft, they became used to the mattress and actually found it very comfortable.
Nectar Ultra Hybrid mattress: Should you buy it?
The Nectar Ultra Hybrid provides pretty exceptional pressure relief, the thick layers of foam cradling and contouring to your joints to provide that cloud-like feeling. This is a great feature for side sleepers, especially those with injuries or lighter weight sleepers who find other beds too firm.
If you need soft, hugging foam as well as enough support to keep your spine aligned, the Nectar Ultra will be a good choice. However, if you struggle to get in and out of bed, or you’re a combination sleeper who tosses and turns, you may find yourself becoming increasingly frustrated with just how much the mattress sinks beneath you, especially at the edges.
If you’re a hot sleeper, I think this mattress will do a good job of keeping you cool in most weather conditions. However, if you experience night sweats or hot flushes, consider investing in one of the best smart beds that incorporate active cooling technology, like the Eight Sleep Pod 4 mattress cover.
Generally, back and stomach sleepers should opt for a medium firm or firm bed, and the Nectar doesn’t give this type of support. The best medium-firm mattresses won’t compromise the cloud-like feel, but they’ll ensure your hips don’t sink too far to move your spine out of alignment.
To sum up, this is a truly luxurious mattress, but it won’t suit everyone. For those it does suit, you’ll find unmatched comfort and coziness with ample support, promising a good night’s sleep every night.
Nectar Ultra Hybrid mattress: Alternatives
The Saatva Classic is our recommended best luxury mattress, and the reason it’s a great alternative to the Nectar Ultra is that it’s more customizable, meaning it’ll suit more sleepers. You can choose from three different feels (Plush Soft, Luxury Firm and Firm) and two heights (11.5” and 14.5”). Straight away, you’re taking away the issue of the Nectar being too soft and too tall, because you can choose exactly how you’d like the Saatva to feel. While the MSRP is slightly higher at $2,099 for a queen, it’s regularly on sale for $1,795 in monthly Saatva mattress sales. Read more in our Saatva Classic mattress review.
The Nectar Luxe is the model just beneath the Ultra. It offers exceptional pressure relief and outperforms the Ultra when it comes to edge support. We tested the memory foam version and it’s a lot firmer than the Ultra, making it a good choice for those who prefer a more buoyant feel. It’s sold at a lower price at $1,249 for a queen, but you will be compromising the extra cooling tech found in the Ultra. It’s available in both hybrid and memory foam, like the Ultra. Read more in our Nectar Luxe Memory Foam mattress review.
If you’re working with a smaller budget, but still want a luxury feel, then the DreamCloud Hybrid mattress will be a great option. It’s a much firmer feel (still medium-firm,) but it still maintains a certain ‘coziness’ that makes it feel indulgent. Back, stomach and side sleepers will all feel supported, thanks to the six layers of high-quality foam and individually wrapped coils. A queen sells for just $599 in an evergreen DreamCloud mattress sale, and you’ll get all the same perks as the Nectar, like a forever warranty and a 365-night trial. Read more in our DreamCloud Hybrid mattress review.
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