Dormeo is a memory foam mattress brand with a strong reputation and a big range. It scores an average of 4.1/5 on TrustPilot after tens of thousands of reviews. That puts it amongst the highest rated mattress brands you can buy in the UK. They’re made in Italy, which gives them a bit of an exotic air, much like a Viennetta or Super Mario (Ed: isn’t he from Japan?).
Memory foam is a decent alternative to the sprung mattresses that most of us sleep on. Some people find memory foam gives a slightly unusual sinking feeling. Other people are big fans of the consistent support you get. You might even like to read our memory foam v pocket spring mattress comparison. That guide is essential if you’ve got a lot of time on your hands, such as if you are waiting for a rail replacement service because of a cancelled train.
The research into memory foam
There’s some discussion to be had over whether a memory foam mattress is good for allergies or not. In their blog, Dormeo say that a foam mattress’s ‘inorganic fibres’ won’t be attractive to dust mites as they don’t provide ‘life sustaining food’ for them. Meanwhile, the charity Allergy UK recommends several foam and synthetic mattresses for allergies and say that an ‘allergen-proof barrier cover’ is what sufferers should look for.
Meanwhile, a study of dust mites on children’s mattresses in Norway in 2002 found that ‘the risk of finding mite faeces was four times higher in foam compared to spring mattresses’. It suggested that ‘A simple replacement of foam mattresses with spring mattresses’ might be the answer. That’s the opposite of much advice you’ll read online.
It seems to be the case that there are multiple factors at play. Another study found that the presence of dust mites is linked to ‘an older mattress, a lower floor level of the bedroom, limited ventilation of the bedroom, and dampness’ (Zock, Heinrich et al, 2006).
A couple of Dormeo mattresses are award winners. The range includes cheap memory foam as well as some rather clever and interesting designs at the pricier end of the range. Well, it’s interesting to someone running a mattress advice website. Normal people are less likely to be interested.
Here’s our pros and cons, followed by our top 5.
Pros and cons of Dormeo mattresses
Pros:
- Longer warranty than many rivals
- Innovative designs, such as spring shaped foam and dual tension mattresses which have different firmness levels on different sides
- Plenty of reasonably priced models from under £300
- High scoring brand on TrustPilot
- Comfort trial, so you aren’t stuck with a mattress you don’t like
Cons:
- Most Dormeo mattresses are single sided
- Warranty small print requires careful reading
- Cheaper models are quite thin
- Top end models are prohibitively expensive
- Limitations on the ‘comfort trial’ compared to some rival bed in a box brands
- Shorter trial period than most rivals
- Some people find that foam mattresses have a smell for a few hours or nights, although this tends to fade
After much searching we’ve picked out five of the best Dormeo mattresses you can buy in the UK. We looked at things like awards from experts, reviews from customers, specifications such as mattress depth, warranty length and value for money.
Prices are for double mattresses and are correct at the time of typing.
1. Dormeo Memory Plus Mattress – medium firmness – £343
The Dormeo Memory Plus has been given the thumbs up from expert testers. It scores pretty well with customers too.
It’s a thin mattress at 17cm and only the top 3cm is memory foam, but that’s to be expected on a cheap mattress. A thinner mattress is more likely to be fine for lighter people, but wouldn’t be ideal for people who are above average weight. There’s a slightly more expensive version which is a bit thicker.
For comparison, a mattress such as the Ergoflex 5G has an extra 6cm of memory foam and it’s 6cm deeper overall, but it costs £100 more than this one.
When we checked, customer reviews for the Dormeo Memory Plus averaged 4.5/5 on the Dormeo website.
Firmness
This is a medium firmness mattress. If you’re trying to figure out whether you need a soft, medium or firm mattress then there are a couple of things to consider.
1. Generally speaking, heavier people need firmer mattresses than light people. You want to sink in just enough to keep your body in a nicely supported position for sleeping.
2. People who sleep on their sides need slightly softer mattresses than people who sleep on their back or front. Side sleepers put more pressure on their shoulders and hips, so a very firm mattress wouldn’t be right for them.
The idea is that you combine these two things before deciding whether you want a soft, medium or firm mattress (or something in between, such as medium-firm)
If you buy it from Dormeo, you get a 60 night ‘Comfort Guarantee’ but when I checked it was cheaper from other retailers (such as Amazon). Trial periods with mattresses vary significantly in how flexible and generous they are. In this case, Dormeo say that ‘we’ll happily listen to your feedback and suggest an alternative, or inform you of the returns procedure for a full refund of the purchase price‘. In most cases, you have to pay the cost of returning the mattress (apart from some Octaspring mattresses).
The Dormeo Memory Plus is an award winner
2. Dormeo Octaspring Hybrid Memory 800 Pocket Mattress – medium/firm – £899
Dormeo’s most expensive and most luxurious mattresses are their Octaspring mattresses. The cheaper mattresses in the range are mostly called Octasmart whilst the more expensive ones are mostly called Octaspring.
Apologies if this veers into boring technical talk, but the idea of an Octaspring/Octasmart mattress is that it has a layer of lots of springs made out of foam, which they reckon gives the ‘support of springs and the comfort of foam’.
Let me run that by you one more time.
Springs. Made. Out. Of. Foam.
For a mattress nerd, this is truly thrilling and innovative stuff. What’s next? Flying mattresses? Invisible beds?
Some of the Octaspring mattresses have two layers of the magical foamy-springs. Others – called hybrids – have a layer of traditional pocket springs along with one layer of foamy-springs. We’ve picked out the hybrid version which scores 4.7/5 on Land of Beds. The number of pocket springs isn’t huge compared to some mattresses, but they’re only one part of a pretty substantial mattress which is 27cm deep in total.
The top layer of this mattress is memory foam. One issue that often comes up with memory foam mattresses is that they can make you feel warmer than pocket spring mattresses. Dormeo reckon that the ‘unique ventilation’ of Octasmart/Octaspring makes it more breathable and cooler than normal memory foam.
It comes with a long guarantee and there’s the option of a trial period if you buy it from Dormeo (see the waffle in the previous section for more on the exclusions and rules in the trial period).
…as well as a layer of metal springs lower down
3. Dormeo S Plus Memory Foam Mattress – choice of firmness – £399
Perhaps I need to get out more, but I got a bit excited when I saw the design of the Dormeo S Plus memory foam mattress.
It is firmer on one side and softer on the other so you can pick which one you prefer and flip it over whenever you feel like it.
Even more exciting (Ed: please calm down) the double, king size and super king versions split in half so that a couple can have different levels of tension. Dual tension or split tension mattresses are not a new thing, but they are usually reserved for very expensive pocket sprung mattresses.
You can also spin it round so you get the right level of support for different parts of your body.
Reviews on the Dormeo website average 4.1/5.
It comes with a massive 15 year guarantee and you can return it if you don’t like it if you buy it from Dormeo. As I said earlier, always check the small print of these things before you sign up. From what I can tell, the Dormeo warranty gradually reduces in value over the years.
4. Dormeo Octasmart Deluxe Memory Foam Mattress – soft/medium – £501
Dormeo’s Octasmart Deluxe Memory Foam Mattress is another which has won an award from experts. It’s also another mattress that uses the Octaspring/Octasmart design which is spring-shaped foam.
Overall, it’s quite a thin mattress at 19cm.
It’s a soft/medium firmness mattress so it is more suited for lighter than average people.
When you see a mattress referring to ‘zones’ it usually means that different parts of the mattress have different firmness levels. The ambition is to offer the right support to different parts of your body.
Zhu, Zhang et al investigated the benefits of using zones as part of academic research in 2016. It looked at the ‘effect of spring mattress zonal changes on spine alignment’. They found that the ‘reasonable’ use of zones could offer ‘better body pressure distribution parameters than a non-zonal mattress’. I would see that as a thumbs up for a mattress using zones.
As with most memory foam mattresses you can’t turn this one over, so you just turn it round to avoid dips and sags. If you want a mattress which flips over to extend its life, you’ll probably need to find a pocket spring mattress. Make sure you read the description, as some pocket spring mattresses are single sided.
Again, this one comes with a ’60 night risk free trial’ from Dormeo, although do check the terms and conditions of this.
Do Dormeo mattresses get good reviews?
As mentioned earlier, Dormeo’s overall score on TrustPilot is very good and makes it one of the highest rated mattress brands in the UK.
We like to dig out one positive and negative review to give a bit more information. The focus is on reviews which discuss the mattress rather than things such as delivery. We also try to find reviews which are from someone who has slept on a mattress for a few months or years rather than someone who has just unpacked it, as this offers a lot more insight.
The two reviews below are both for the Dormeo Memory Plus (see #1 on this list) which is one of the most popular Dormeo mattresses. As you can see, the company does reply to negative comments which is good to see.
