Simba Hybrid Ultra review: Luxury in layers

If you’re looking to buy one of the best mattresses possible in 2024, the Simba Hybrid Ultra is worth your consideration. This is Simba’s most premium offering and boasts an incredibly impressive spec in terms of both structure and performance.

You’ll find up to a staggering 8,500 springs within its sumptuously thick 13-layer design as well as a double layer of Simba’s signature Simbatex foam for twice the cooling airflow of other Simba mattresses, such as the standard Hybrid and the Hybrid Pro. I slept on the Simba Hybrid Ultra for two months and was extremely pleased with its cocooning comfort. Its reliably supportive design improved my sleep dramatically, resulting in me waking up each morning feeling more rested than I have done in years. However, this is a thick and heavy mattress, so bear this in mind when you’re planning your bedroom space and consider how you’re going to rotate it regularly and clean the removable cover.

While it doesn’t come cheap, there’s a lot to admire in this mindfully crafted mattress that helps to justify its price tag and make it a great buy for anyone willing and able to invest in one.

Simba Hybrid Ultra review: What you need to know

As a big-name player in the bed-in-a-box market, it was only a matter of time before Simba launched a mattress with a luxury spec to outshine its competitors. The sheer number of springs and layers in the Hybrid Ultra instantly makes it stand out from the rival brands. Simba rates this mattress as a medium-firm design, and with its 34cm depth, a mix of breathable and supportive materials and the abundance of springs, this luxury hybrid has been designed to effortlessly contour to your body shape and provide support for ultimate comfort. There are 4,000 titanium alloy Aerocoil micro springs in the upper layer to compress and respond to your body shape, another 3,500 carbon steel Aerocoil micro springs lower down in the structure to add support and a further 1,000 pocket barrel springs to optimise edge-to-edge support.

As with all Simba mattresses, for your peace of mind, they offer a 200-night trial period with a hassle-free full refund should you decide it’s not for you. Unlike many bed-in-a-box mattresses, this design doesn’t come rolled up; instead, it arrives fully formed with their free ‘VIP delivery’ that involves a two-person team delivering the mattress, on a date of your choosing, directly to your bedroom. You can even opt to have your existing mattress removed and recycled, should you wish.

As for mattress care, the top of the soft knitted cover can be unzipped and removed for washing. And while you won’t need to turn the mattress over, Simba suggests rotating it every month for the first three months, and then once every three months for the rest of its life – in fact, this is one of the conditions of the 10-year warranty. Also note that, while it has handles on the sides, it’s a very heavy mattress and you should get someone to help you move it.

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Simba Hybrid Ultra review: Price and competition

The Hybrid Ultra is the most expensive premium mattress in Simba’s range of hybrid mattresses. At the time of writing, Simba was offering 25% off selected hybrid mattresses, which meant that you could buy the Hybrid Ultra mattress at just £1,949 for a single, down from its usual RRP of £2,599. Simba also sells several alternatives – for example, you can pick up their entry-level Hybrid Essential from £749 for a single, or their mid-range 8-layer Hybrid Pro at RRP £1,159 for a single. It’s worth bearing in mind, though, that they do have financing options – you can opt to spread the cost over 12 months interest-free or take out a payment plan for up to five years. It’s also worth noting Simba offers near-continual promotions, so you probably won’t have to buy at the RRP.

As far as the direct competition goes, the Simba Hybrid Ultra is unique in its 13-layer, 8,500-spring design. However, to compare its price to premium hybrids from other bed-in-a-box mattress manufacturers, the 28cm-deep Eve Premium Hybrid mattress isn’t available as a single, but can be picked up as a double for £1,249, while the also 28cm-deep Nectar Premier Hybrid mattress costs just £775 for a single.

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Simba Hybrid Ultra review: Comfort and performance

The thick 13-layer structure of the Simba Hybrid Ultra is what I found most intriguing and joyful about the design. By comparison, both the Nectar Premier Hybrid Mattress and the Eve Premium Hybrid Mattress only feature eight layers. That’s not to say that a deeper mattress is automatically superior, but I think these extra layers add to just how luxurious the Simba Hybrid Ultra feels overall.

As the mattress doesn’t come rolled up, I found there was hardly any off-gassing (that new factory smell you often get with rolled-up vacuum-packed mattresses) to contend with. Then, after my first night on the Simba Hybrid Ultra, I was very impressed at just how comfortable it was and how rested I felt. This only got better over the two months I trialled the mattress as my body became used to sleeping on it.

Simba rates this as being a medium-firm mattress, which I feel is a fair judgement. The large number of springs is certainly unusual for an off-the-shelf hybrid, but it helps to create a more personalised contouring effect. It also gives the mattress a nice bit of bounce when you flop back onto the bed, without feeling that it’s wobbling around too much.

Within the mattress, there are not one, but two layers of Simba’s signature Simbatex foam to ensure there’s a cooling airflow throughout the mattress, while also providing cushioning to enhance the pressure distribution while remaining supportive. I found that the mattress offered excellent pressure relief from head to toe, and changing position from my side to my back or my front was easy and comfortable. This was no doubt aided by some of the materials used in its construction, such as in the support-boosting PureLift layer, which includes a mix of latex and coconut fibres for natural elasticity and spring-like support.

Good edge and corner support is, of course, vital so that you don’t feel like you’re at risk of sliding out of bed. It also helps to maximise your sleeping space, which is particularly useful when you’re sharing a bed. Helped by the SupportCore base with its 1,000 pocket barrel springs, I found myself able to roll up right to the edge of the Hybrid Ultra without feeling like I’d tumble off the side. I tested the corner and edge support using an 8kg weight (pictured) and I measured a sinkage of around an inch and a half, which demonstrates a decent amount of pressure relief and support.

If the idea of sleeping on natural materials appeals, you’ll be pleased to hear that the mattress features a thermo-regulating ‘FusionCool’ cooling top layer that uses a blend of breathable materials such as kapok, wool and bamboo. I slept on the mattress during the winter months with the heating on – the temperature never really dropped below 19 degrees – and I can report that I never found myself waking up feeling too hot. Indeed, it felt like the mattress was keeping me at an optimum temperature throughout the night.

Having shared a king size Simba Hybrid Ultra with my partner, we were both impressed with how little motion transfer there was. My partner told me that he had slept better than he had done in months as he managed to go undisturbed whenever I moved in my sleep and, as a restless sleeper prone to moving from my side to my back, I also appreciated how little motion transferred around the bed as it helped me get more comfortable and achieve a deeper sleep too.

Simba Hybrid Ultra review: Verdict

While comfort is subjective, depending on whether you prefer a firm, medium or soft mattress, there’s no denying that the 13-layer, 8,500 spring mattress here outshines any other premium bed-in-a-box mattresses. At 34cm, it’s noticeably thick and I think this instantly helps to create a luxurious hotel-spa-like feel in the bedroom, but some people might find it off-putting suddenly sleeping that much higher up.

After sleeping on the Ultra Hybrid for two months, both my partner and I can recommend it as a very comfortable and supportive design that’s great for sharing. For me, it provided the perfect mix of bounce and support. I found this medium-firm mattress to be a refreshing change from the other premium hybrid mattresses that I’ve tested and have always found to be too firm. In short, if your budget will stretch, I think this Best Buy mattress is definitely one you have to try.