Brook + Wilde Elite mattress review: pick your firmness with this outstanding luxury hybrid

The Brook + Wilde Elite mattress is a luxurious hybrid with eight layers – including 2,500 pocket springs and various foams and memory foams – designed to deliver the perfect night's sleep. Like all of this premium British brand's mattresses, you can pick your firmness: Soft, Medium or Firm; when we reviewed, there was an Extra Firm option, but this is no longer available. We tested out the Brook + Wilde Elite mattress in Firm to see how it performed compared to the rest of the entries in our best mattress ranking. 

The Elite is one of four mattresses from Brook + Wilde, and sits above the popular Brook + Wilde Lux mattress (with five layers) and below the Brook + Wilde Ultima (10 layers) and Perla (14 layers). Read on for our full Brook + Wilde Elite mattress review, or head to our Brook + Wilde vs Simba showdown to see how it compares to a major competitor.

A note on price before we start. We're at the upper end of the market here, but don't be put off. We've negotiated an excellent Brook + Wilde deal for you: add the code T352 at the checkout to knock a massive 52% off the price of the Brook + Wilde Elite mattress. See how that stacks up against what you can get for your money elsewhere, in our general cheap mattress deals guide. 

Brook + Wilde Elite mattress review: design and comfort

Let's kick off our Brook + Wilde Elite review with a closer look at the design. The 28cm thick Brook + Wilde Elite is available in four UK sizes: single, double, king and super king. There are eight different layers here, making it one of the most complex designs we've come across... although the B+W Ultima has a whopping 10. At the bottom is a support base sitting on top of a non-slip base, which works well to provide stability. 

In the middle you'll find two layers of springs sandwiching a support foam layer. The lower level of 1,000 135mm pocket springs provide bounce and pushback, while an upper level of 2,500 mini pocket springs adapt to your body to relieve pressure. Between the two is a layer of support form, which, unusually, is shaped like a wave: the extra thickness at the top end of the mattress offers extra support under your spine and shoulders. (We couldn't feel any variation in firmness when lying on the mattress, but we did feel very well supported, so we'll assume it's doing something behind the scenes.)

At the top is a layer of next-gen memory foam to mould lightly to your body and relieve pressure points. Brook + Wilde says it has an open cell structure to improve moisture evaporation and aid breathability. In practice, it does still trap heat a little, but that's pretty much inevitable with memory foams, and it's one of the cooler models we've tried in this respect.

On top of this are two covers: a memory foam protector that removes friction between the foam and the top fabric, and a four-way stretch top cover that zips off and can be machine-washed, which we're always pleased to see. There was a little extra loose fabric on our removable cover, which doesn't cause any real issues in use, but is a little sloppy on a mattress this high-end. 

We found the memory foam provided the perfect balance of softness and support – on the Firm model we tried, it moulded very lightly to the body to relive pressure without bringing that 'sinking' sensation you can get with some foam mattresses. There's also a nice level of bounce from the springs, which we have found isn't always present in hybrids where there's a thick memory foam topper. That makes it easy to move around on. Essentially, this delivered everything we want from a hybrid mattress.

An unusual, and welcome, selling point is the ability to pick your firmness level. Want something marshmallowy and cosy? Go for the Soft. Need more support from your mattress? Try Firm, or go for the Medium for some middle ground between the two. We tested the Firm, which we'd say is around a 7 or 8 on the softness scale.

Brook + Wilde Elite mattress review: Delivery and small print

Like the cheaper Lux, this is a bed-in-a-box mattress, which means it's delivered vacuum packed and rolled. Brook + Wilde will set it up in a room of your choice, which is a good thing because it weighs a ton once expanded. There are sewn-on handles to help if you do need to maneuver it, but it's no-flip so other than tucking sheets around it, you shouldn't need to move it around much. Because these are made to order, you'll have to wait a little longer than usual for delivery, too: around 2-3 weeks.

You have a 100 night comfort trial to make sure you love the mattress, which is about standard for most mattress brands. During this time, you can switch to a different firmness level or a different mattress free of charge, or even just request a refund. There is also an old mattress recycling option, with a very reasonable £25 fee. Finally, there's a 10-year guarantee. 

Brook + Wilde Elite mattress review: price

The Brook + Wilde Lux mattress sits at the premium end of the mattress-in-a-box market. At full price, a single Brook + Wilde Lux mattress costs £999; a double £1,299; a king £1,399; and a super king £1,499.

Remember too that pretty much all mattress brands run regular sales, so chances are you won't need to pay full price. Head to our Brook + Wilde mattress deals page for the best current offer.

Brook + Wilde Elite mattress review: Verdict

We're big fans of this mattress. In terms of comfort and quality, we'd struggle to fault it; it's supremely comfortable, won't overheat, and provides a nice amount of buoyancy and bounce. The ability to choose your firmness level is a big plus in our book – as well as the option to swap up or down a level during your trial period if it turns out you chose wrong.

So what about that price tag? While it's not exorbitantly expensive – in fact, it's roughly in line with other comparable 'luxury hybrids' – the fact remains it has a higher price tag than most of our best mattress ranking. At full price we're on the fence about whether it's that much better than the other models in our list. BUT. There are regular deals that knock down the price. If you spot one of these, we'd recommend jumping on it ASAP.

Brook + Wilde Elite mattress review: alternatives to consider

If you like the look of the Brook + Wilde Elite but fancy a different brand, consider the Eve Premium Hybrid and the Simba Hybrid Pro. Both are similar in price to the Brook + Wilde Elite and both have supportive layers, great temperature regulation and strong movement isolation.

While we've not yet had the opportunity to try out the Eve Premium Hybrid, we put it to the test in our Eve Premium Hybrid vs Simba Hybrid Pro showdown.