In article ,
sacha wrote:

I don't know if it's just a British habit to do that but friends have
told us of some horrendous encounters with tatty furniture,
uncomfortable beds, washing machines that don't etc. Everywhere we
stayed in NZ was, without exception, comfortable, beautifully furnished
and with superb breakfasts. Their b&b association does a great job.

You should adapt to the location you are visiting. I used to carry
a complete household toolkit when on holiday in rural areas, and
usually had to fix quite a few completely broken items. My most
common job was attaching the toilet to the floor :-)

Funny if it wasn't also shameful! Friends of mine with 3 year old twins
were told by a holiday cottage owner that if the the washing machine
wasn't working properly, they should just go to the launderette. No
apologiy, no "I'll get it fixed or put in a new one", no money off the
price of the holiday! In a wet summer, they spent more time trying to
wash and dry wet or sandy clothes than any other single thing.

Well, it depends. You shouldn't expect all mod. cons if you rent a
cottage in rural West Cork, or the more rural parts of France. The
local people would just get round any problems, which is why they
expect you to. We fairly often had to wash things by hand and
string them up around the house. If you think that's bad, you would
really not like some of the places that I have lived in :-)


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

"David Hill" wrote in message
...
On 03/10/2013 12:23, News wrote:
On 01/10/2013 09:40, David Hill wrote:
I know that this is totally off topic but thinking about how many
gardeners have back problems I thought I'd ask my question here.
It's time for me to change my mattress and my back is giving me a lot of
problems.
I'm wondering about a Memory foam mattress, but I don't know anyone who
has one.
Are they as good as the advertising says, or is it just hype.


We're on our second memory foam mattress now. The first one was great
while it lasted, but after 6 years, it started to lose shape (dips
staying where the body usually lays. I think it was the undelying
non-memory foam substructure that was failing, but it could have been
partially the memory foam too. I'm pretty sure that is because it was
very cheap (between £200 and £300 istr). It only had a 5 year
guarantee, which probably should have warned me.

That said, I'm not convinced that you always get what you pay for.

The one we have now (for the last year) is from a company called
Ergoflex. We love it so far and I think it has a 10 year guarantee. It
is difficult to see what the major differences between it and Tempur
really are (apart from price and brand name marketing). It is a *lot*
cheaper than Tempur.

The key things to look out for are, I think, the foam density and how it
reacts to body heat.

Just looking at Which reports, their top brand is Vi-Spring mattresses
Type Lowest price Highest price
Pocket sprung £835 £28,485
Ouch!

David, why don't you just consider a mattress topper?


--
http://www.helpforheroes.org.uk/shop/

On 03/10/2013 14:04, Ophelia wrote:


David, why don't you just consider a mattress topper?


No good if the underlying mattress is 'compromised', imo. Also they
ahve a tendency to move about if you're not careful - particularly if
ythe underlying mattress is not good.

And a good memory flex mattress takes much of its stability from the
high density (non memory) foam that makes up the bulk of it.

--
regards
andy

"News" wrote in message
...
On 03/10/2013 14:04, Ophelia wrote:


David, why don't you just consider a mattress topper?


No good if the underlying mattress is 'compromised', imo. Also they ahve
a tendency to move about if you're not careful - particularly if ythe
underlying mattress is not good.

And a good memory flex mattress takes much of its stability from the high
density (non memory) foam that makes up the bulk of it.

But if he can't afford the other options ... I don't remember if he said his
mattress was compromised or that he was having problems with his back. If
the latter, he could do worse. We have a caravan with an 'end bed' (it
doesn't get folded away and is in its own 'room') We sometimes live in it
for periods when DH is working away and I go along too. The mattress was
dreadful and we had it replaced with a sprung mattress. I found it too hard
for my back and bought a 'topper' (from Argos if memory serves) which has
made that bed very comfortable.

--
http://www.helpforheroes.org.uk/shop/

On 2013-10-03 13:14:59 +0100, Nick Maclaren said:

In article ,
sacha wrote:

I don't know if it's just a British habit to do that but friends have
told us of some horrendous encounters with tatty furniture,
uncomfortable beds, washing machines that don't etc. Everywhere we
stayed in NZ was, without exception, comfortable, beautifully furnished
and with superb breakfasts. Their b&b association does a great job.

You should adapt to the location you are visiting. I used to carry
a complete household toolkit when on holiday in rural areas, and
usually had to fix quite a few completely broken items. My most
common job was attaching the toilet to the floor :-)

Funny if it wasn't also shameful! Friends of mine with 3 year old twins
were told by a holiday cottage owner that if the the washing machine
wasn't working properly, they should just go to the launderette. No
apologiy, no "I'll get it fixed or put in a new one", no money off the
price of the holiday! In a wet summer, they spent more time trying to
wash and dry wet or sandy clothes than any other single thing.

Well, it depends. You shouldn't expect all mod. cons if you rent a
cottage in rural West Cork, or the more rural parts of France. The
local people would just get round any problems, which is why they
expect you to. We fairly often had to wash things by hand and
string them up around the house. If you think that's bad, you would
really not like some of the places that I have lived in :-)


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

Expensive cottage in South Devon! LIVING somewhere is different in that
you usually have some idea of what you're going to before you move in.
If you rent a cottage from a brochure or the internet, as most people
do, and it's advertised as having certain facilities and machinery,
then it's fair to assume those things will be in working order. It's a
bit like renting a villa with a pool in Spain, only to arrive there and
discover the filter hasn't worked for 3 weeks and still isn't fixed.
--

Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
South Devon
www.helpforheroes.org.uk

In article ,
Sacha wrote:

Well, it depends. You shouldn't expect all mod. cons if you rent a
cottage in rural West Cork, or the more rural parts of France. The
local people would just get round any problems, which is why they
expect you to. We fairly often had to wash things by hand and
string them up around the house. If you think that's bad, you would
really not like some of the places that I have lived in :-)

Expensive cottage in South Devon! LIVING somewhere is different in that
you usually have some idea of what you're going to before you move in.

Don't you bet on it :-) That didn't and doesn't apply to anyone
where they are posted by their employer.

If you rent a cottage from a brochure or the internet, as most people
do, and it's advertised as having certain facilities and machinery,
then it's fair to assume those things will be in working order. It's a
bit like renting a villa with a pool in Spain, only to arrive there and
discover the filter hasn't worked for 3 weeks and still isn't fixed.
Isn't that the usual situation? :-)

But I agree that things that are major features should be present
and at least work, up to the level a reasonable person would expect.
That will vary, however, and the standards in West Cork are (or, at
least, were) not the same as in the more developed parts of the UK.
I was actually quite surprised that it had an indoor toilet.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

On 10/2/2013 7:45 PM, sacha wrote:

the other best option is to get the topper and if you think that works,
splash out on the mattress, do you think?

We tried the topper first, liked it, then splashed out on the mattress,
which we like even more.

On 03/10/2013 12:23, News wrote:
On 01/10/2013 09:40, David Hill wrote:
I know that this is totally off topic but thinking about how many
gardeners have back problems I thought I'd ask my question here.
It's time for me to change my mattress and my back is giving me a lot of
problems.
I'm wondering about a Memory foam mattress, but I don't know anyone who
has one.
Are they as good as the advertising says, or is it just hype.


We're on our second memory foam mattress now. The first one was great
while it lasted, but after 6 years, it started to lose shape (dips
staying where the body usually lays. I think it was the undelying
non-memory foam substructure that was failing, but it could have been
partially the memory foam too. I'm pretty sure that is because it was
very cheap (between £200 and £300 istr). It only had a 5 year
guarantee, which probably should have warned me.

That said, I'm not convinced that you always get what you pay for.

The one we have now (for the last year) is from a company called
Ergoflex. We love it so far and I think it has a 10 year guarantee. It
is difficult to see what the major differences between it and Tempur
really are (apart from price and brand name marketing). It is a *lot*
cheaper than Tempur.

The key things to look out for are, I think, the foam density and how it
reacts to body heat.

Had a look at their site and contacted them,
Their mattresses are not covered by any guarantee if the combined weight
of the occupants is over 30 stone, and as we are both around 17 stone
they say the mattresses wouldn't last as long, They could custom make
one for me but it would be in 4 figures,but I could get the cheaper
option and just renew it when it was knackered.
It's no good getting something designed for someone of 10 or 11 stone.
still looking but am grateful for all the ideas so far.
David @ a now rain free side of Swansea bay where there is enough blue
sky to mend a sailors breeches.
Which don't seem to rate memory foam if you move around in your sleep.

On 03/10/2013 15:37, News wrote:
On 03/10/2013 14:04, Ophelia wrote:


David, why don't you just consider a mattress topper?


No good if the underlying mattress is 'compromised', imo. Also they
ahve a tendency to move about if you're not careful - particularly if
ythe underlying mattress is not good.

And a good memory flex mattress takes much of its stability from the
high density (non memory) foam that makes up the bulk of it.


The mattress is probably ecologically sound, It has a few springs
bursting forth, and being skewered is not my idea of fun and bending the
sharp end over doesn't do much to help.

On 03/10/13 18:13, David Hill wrote:
Their mattresses are not covered by any guarantee if the combined weight of the occupants is over 30 stone, and as we are both around 17 stone they say the mattresses wouldn't last as long, They could
custom make one for me but it would be in 4 figures,but I could get the cheaper option and just renew it when it was knackered.
It's no good getting something designed for someone of 10 or 11 stone.

I would guess that something comfortable/useful for
an 11st person wouldn't be comfortable/useful for
a 17st person, and v.v.

My best suggestions: attempt to try things out
before buying, and try a cheap topper from a foam shed.

The experience gained will clarify what you /really/ need!

On 2013-10-03 17:07:53 +0100, Nick Maclaren said:

In article ,
Sacha wrote:

Well, it depends. You shouldn't expect all mod. cons if you rent a
cottage in rural West Cork, or the more rural parts of France. The
local people would just get round any problems, which is why they
expect you to. We fairly often had to wash things by hand and
string them up around the house. If you think that's bad, you would
really not like some of the places that I have lived in :-)

Expensive cottage in South Devon! LIVING somewhere is different in that
you usually have some idea of what you're going to before you move in.

Don't you bet on it :-) That didn't and doesn't apply to anyone
where they are posted by their employer.

If you rent a cottage from a brochure or the internet, as most people
do, and it's advertised as having certain facilities and machinery,
then it's fair to assume those things will be in working order. It's a
bit like renting a villa with a pool in Spain, only to arrive there and
discover the filter hasn't worked for 3 weeks and still isn't fixed.
Isn't that the usual situation? :-)

But I agree that things that are major features should be present
and at least work, up to the level a reasonable person would expect.
That will vary, however, and the standards in West Cork are (or, at
least, were) not the same as in the more developed parts of the UK.
I was actually quite surprised that it had an indoor toilet.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

Tsk! Expectations again! I'm not going to quote actual prices but I
think their S Devon cottage cost not far shy of £1k per week, so to
find things not working that should be working, was particularly
irritating for them. It was almost more annoying that the owner
blithely told them to trot off to a launderette. Some rentals down
here are very expensive and in the 'luxury' area re price, so word goes
round very quickly if there's the slightest hint of 'rip off'!
--

Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
South Devon
www.helpforheroes.org.uk

In article ,
Sacha wrote:

Tsk! Expectations again! I'm not going to quote actual prices but I
think their S Devon cottage cost not far shy of £1k per week, so to
find things not working that should be working, was particularly
irritating for them. It was almost more annoying that the owner
blithely told them to trot off to a launderette. Some rentals down
here are very expensive and in the 'luxury' area re price, so word goes
round very quickly if there's the slightest hint of 'rip off'!

I agree that, if they charge that sort of price, expecting them to
deliver something of matching quality is reasonable.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

David Hill wrote:
I'm wondering about a Memory foam mattress, but I don't know anyone who
has one.

Apologies if this has already been covered, but I can't be bothered with
the whole thread. Just wanted to voice my opinion

We bought a memory foam /and/ pocket sprung (combined, not one of each!)
because Nick claims he can't get out of memory foam, cos it sucks him in.
Memory foam is also /very/ warm, so it can be a bit uncomfortable in the
summer.

But I am very happy with the mattress we got.

I would strongly advise, even if you intend to buy online, to go to a shop
and try some out. It's all so very personal, no amount of advice is going
to work as well as personal experience. (And take anyone you may be going
to share it with with you, rather than trying it on your own if that's not
how you're going to use it!)

"Victoria Conlan" wrote in message ...

David Hill wrote:
I'm wondering about a Memory foam mattress, but I don't know anyone who
has one.

Apologies if this has already been covered, but I can't be bothered with
the whole thread. Just wanted to voice my opinion

Apologies but I can't be bothered to read this post any further ...

On 04/10/2013 13:31, Silvia Campion wrote:


"Victoria Conlan" wrote in message
...

David Hill wrote:
I'm wondering about a Memory foam mattress, but I don't know anyone who
has one.

Apologies if this has already been covered, but I can't be bothered with
the whole thread. Just wanted to voice my opinion

Apologies but I can't be bothered to read this post any further ...


If you have nothing constructive to add why bother posting?