Why our sleep experts loved it
The Hypnos Pillow Top Stellar Superior is a luxurious model from one of the UK's most well-established bedmakers. It embodies all the best features of Hypnos design - well-made materials, responsive support, and refined finishing touches - but at a price to match. Is it worth the premium or are there better mattresses in its price range? Read on for our honest review.
Design & First Impressions
The Stellar Superior Pillow Top doesn't disappoint on the eye test. Its generous 30cm depth gives a satisfyingly plush, hotel-like profile, enhanced by the sumptuous Belgian damask cover and time-honoured hand tufting that are signatures of Hypnos design. The build quality is solid with two rows of hand side-stitching around the perimeter and Hypnos' exclusive Triple Edge Protection™ ensuring added stability and durability around the entire mattress surface. There's an expensive look and feel to this mattress that it delivers on in terms of sleep experience too.
The initial impression is one of instant plush comfort. The pillow top surface is delightfully soft and cushiony - the kind that makes you want to just collapse onto it and sink in gently before it springs back into place. The six-turn pocket spring system beneath offers firmer, structured support that holds up the plush top without letting it become sloppy. It's a formula that feels very comfortable from the outset - particularly if you're someone who likes your mattress to feel like a cloud - though as with all pillow top beds, the combination has the potential to sink over time in a way that can't be corrected by flipping.
Construction & Materials
Beneath the comfort layers, the Pillow Top Stellar Superior features Hypnos' proprietary ReActivePro™ 6-turn pocket spring system. Pocket springs are individually encased so that they can move and respond independently to body weight and position, allowing the mattress to contour and adapt more precisely as you move. The six active turns per spring are what give this system its particularly responsive feel, meaning a fast return to an even surface as you roll or shift during sleep. This is one of the reasons why Hypnos is such a strong player in the orthopaedic space.
Overlaying the springs is a blend of organic cotton and Solotex™ fibres. The cotton offers natural breathability and moisture-wicking, while Solotex™ is a recycled, highly resilient fibre that has a little of its own 'springiness' to it. Together they make a cushioned surface that feels plush but well controlled. The downside of all pillow top constructions, of course, is that this soft upper layer is stitched permanently into place. As it naturally compresses over time and use, there's no way to refresh or replace it without buying a new mattress.
Firmness & Feel
The manufacturer rates this as a medium firm mattress, which is about right. The base of ReActivePro™ springs offers excellent orthopaedic support without allowing the pillow top to tip into mushiness. It's a medium firmness that should work for most sleepers, but if you do your best snooze on your side, you'll likely particularly enjoy the softness of the upper layer to cushion shoulders and hips.
It is a well-balanced feel overall, but as mentioned, the compromise is that pillow tops inevitably soften further over time as the fillings settle. This is a noted point in customer reviews where owners have noticed that the mattress surface has begun to dip a little in their most-used areas. While this doesn't necessarily reduce comfort, it can create an unwanted ridge at the boundary of your body impressions, which can be a source of annoyance over several years.
Temperature Regulation
Temperature control is one area where Hypnos mattresses have always excelled, and the Pillow Top Stellar Superior is no exception. The natural cotton and Solotex™ in the upper layers of the mattress breathe well, and there are also side air vents running around the edge of the mattress core to improve airflow. This means you get a consistently cool and dry sleep surface that won't trap and retain heat the way many memory foam-based beds can. In general, then, it should have a neutral temperature that is comfortable year-round.
Performance & Durability
Performance, like most Hypnos models, is excellent when the mattress is new. The feel of support without pressure that the Responsive spring system and natural fibres in the comfort layer provide is an undoubted strength of these beds. Edge-to-edge support and durability is also very good, helped by the Triple Edge Protection™ and the strong, well-handled stitching all around the perimeter of the mattress surface. These features will help ensure the mattress lasts as long as possible.
The main issue, as we've mentioned, is durability over the long term, or more specifically, with the upper comfort layer. Pillow top mattresses are simply not as durable as those with separate, removable toppers or those that can be turned or rotated to even out wear. Because the plush upper layer is sewn permanently into place, it has a more limited lifespan and can't be flipped over to refresh it even if it begins to sag or compress. This is an inevitable downside of the pillow top construction that, given the high cost, feels like a wasted opportunity compared to more traditional, turnable Hypnos designs.
Everyday Use
In practical terms, this is a mattress that performs well in daily use. The medium firm support strikes a good balance between stability and softness without any perceptible motion transfer from partner to partner. Edge support is excellent, allowing use of the whole mattress surface to its fullest. Maintenance is minimal, as there's no removable topper to keep clean and the mattress can't be turned, so it should just require rotation on a regular basis to maintain shape.
The Pillow Top Stellar Superior is also very heavy, even with flag stitched handles included for manoeuvring. In fact, it's one of the heavier models we've seen, so turning or rotating it even slightly can be a chore. This is one reason why a well-ventilated base is important too, as it will help with hygiene and air circulation to maximise the mattress lifespan.
Who It Suits
The Stellar Superior Pillow Top is a mattress best suited for sleepers that love the feeling of instant softness that pillow tops bring without having to deal with a top that is too soft and bottom that is too firm (the main drawback of standalone toppers). Side and combination sleepers should find the balance of softness and firmness just right and appreciate the cushioning around the shoulders and hips. If you're someone who tends to overheat while sleeping, the natural fibres will help with temperature regulation too. It's also an excellent choice for the bedmaker traditionalists among you or those who are simply a fan of British-made mattresses and is willing to pay the extra for the name and craftsmanship.
Who It Doesn't Suit
If you prefer firmer, more traditional mattresses without an integrated pillow top, or if you put a premium on long-term durability over immediate softness, this is probably not the mattress for you. The inability to flip or refresh the soft upper layer will be the main disappointment here, as it is with all pillow top designs - eventually, the extra cushion will sink and lose its loft. For the price, you can get turnable mattresses that last longer within the Hypnos range too.
Verdict
The Hypnos Pillow Top Stellar Superior Mattress is a prime example of what the British bedmaker does best: responsive support, refined comfort layers, and solid build quality. It ticks the boxes for medium firm tension, cooling, and detail in a way that delivers on the promise of luxury sleep - at least for the short to medium term. The major downsides are, of course, the price and the fact that it isn't the most practical for long-term ownership. For those that want to treat themselves to a slice of luxury and are fine with those trade-offs, it is a delightfully comfortable mattress. But for most of us, the premium will be hard to justify given the design limitations.
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