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PALM DESERT, CALIFORNIA
March 22nd, 2017 – My Dad’s 80th Birthday
Big year for the old man. Turning 80 is huge, no? I am just a bit over halfway there and not sure if I’ll make it. My brother, who used beat me up, and my sister who still laughs at me, decided we need to go surprise him and my mom in California where they winter. 3 days, just the 5 of us, like old times. And old times it was – we laughed hard and harder. We teased each other a lot, we talked politics, sports, travel, who is better looking, and how good it was to be away from the kids and spouses (temporarily, of course). My mom didn’t stop talking about her tree that was dying on the back patio and how nobody does anything about it, and of course we ATE! Holy, did we eat. We ate in and out and all around. I gained 5 lbs, not joking, and my sister for sure put on a few! Now, this isn’t a hotel per say, but it sort of is. I mean, there is room service (my mom), there is maid service, (my mom), there is concierge service – you guessed it, and there is every amenity under the bluest of blue skies, without a cloud in it. There is also a mattress to be reviewed.
You may wonder what this title is all about. Larry has everything, he has 4 of everything and sometimes 12. My brother and I didn’t come equipped to play golf, but no worries, Larry’s shelves had extra sets of shoes, clubs, socks, pants, pairs of shoes, gloves, you name it. We could have been at Dick’s Sporting Goods. Life has been good to Larry, but I prefer to say that he has been good to life. He worked his ass off for 50 years, enjoyed it, and was able to provide for my mom and us. He is still able to show us wonderful things, wonderful places, but most importantly the value of life, not to be taken for granted. His emphasis on family and family first is what I admire most about him and try to emulate that everyday. “No matter what, your best friends are your brother and sister – don’t ever forget that”, I can hear him say. He taught us to be honest and forthright, to treat people with kindness and respect, to be responsible, to be a mensch. That’s all I want. That’s all I want my kids to want. Happy birthday to a great dad and many healthy returns.
SET UP
3 nights – My brother and I shared a room that has 2 twin XL beds 38″ x 80″ in it. The 6″‘s extra come in handy when you are 6 + feet tall.
MATTRESS
Ultra Firm, purchased at and manufactured by Banner Mattress. Banner has a nice reputation in California with about 12 stores in the Los Angeles area and beyond. They carry premium brands as well as manufacturing their own private label. For some reason, Larry didn’t feel it necessary to spend more than he needed to on some guest room (kids) mattresses. Well, he should have! This one makes me fume – super firm and not forgiving on my aged body. Notice also the organic cotton label on the quilting. Yah, like the cotton that was picked for this fabric came from an organic cotton farm. PPPPPPPFFFFFFF! This is the latest marketing scam from retailers everywhere. Unless it has been certified organic with credentials and stamps, organic means nothing. As my friends, The Who, say all the time “We don’t get fooled again”.
SLEEP
Night 1 – very tired, working on eastern time, slept 10:30 pm to 8:00 am local. Woke up with sore back, as I always do on this mattress.
Night 2 – slept most of it on the couch, as my brother was snoring.
Night 3 – slept well until I was woken up by my brother who told me that I was snoring. Sore back again. By the way, HE ended up on the couch.
LINENS AND MORE
320 TC 100% cotton, but not as cozy as I remember. Not satisfied with these ones, so I had the maid service change the sheets to a 300 TC 100% Supima cotton. What a difference! Thread counts in linens are confusing. The higher the count, doesn’t always mean softer, there are other factors involved, like the type of cotton, and the weave count. I am no expert when it comes to linens, but I do know that Supima and Egyptian are my preferred. Pillow was undeniably firm so I switched to the throw pillow which was adequate.
P.S – I actually made my own bed, as did my brother and the maid, errrr, my mom was so proud.
OVERALL
The overall sleep experience for me was not great. As you may recall from previous posts, I enjoy a plusher mattress experience. Of course, this is personal choice, and so not to dissuade you from purchasing a firm mattress or one of Banner’s in house ones, I will say that what Banner has done here is actually quite good. The firmness lives up to its’ billing, there are no sag marks in either the coil or quilting after 8 years, and the support is quite good. I would like, however, to have a bit of a thicker quilting on something that is that firm, as it wouldn’t take away from the firmness, but just add an ever so slight shoulder and hip coziness. Lots of manufacturers offer a Luxury firm option – look out for that if you can’t handle the firm.
A cool Cadi outside of Spencer’s restaurant. Have the Lobster Club Sandwich or the Surf and Turf eggs Benedict – or both
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