If you’re a hot sleeper, buying a cooling mattress pad can make all of the difference—and from the outside, there’s a lot to love about this model from Leisure Town. However, to see if it lived up to its overwhelmingly positive reviews, my partner and I put the mattress topper on top of our full-size memory foam mattress and noticed a tangible difference in temperature. Ahead, I’ll break down the materials, durability, features, and texture of this mattress pad.

Material: Soft, hypoallergenic, and lovely

This mattress topper is made from cotton, polyester, and 3D snow down alternative fill (a down alternative that’s designed to hold its shape longer than the real thing). One thing to note is that there was a slight period of off-gassing once we received this product. We resolved it by setting in the stairwell landing outside our apartment for a few hours, and once it was on the bed, we didn’t notice any smells.

Texture: Super soft cotton

This mattress topper’s 100-percent cotton lining makes it breathable—and therefore delightful—to sleep on. This topper is also described as overfilled, and I would say that description fits the bill after we left it out to re-fluff post-arrival in the mail. The quilted pattern has a rounded-diamond shape and provides ample support. I’m unusually sensitive to lying on different-shaped and sized blankets and pillows and didn’t wake up with random sore spots when testing this mattress topper. This mattress pad is also very fluffy, which can be a great thing, depending on your preferences. For example, if you like an extra-firm mattress, there’s a chance that the overfilled design will take away some of the support your mattress gives you. This is definitely something to keep in mind if you suffer from soft-bed back pain.

Design: Great for taller mattresses

If you have a tall mattress, you’ll really love this topper—it can fit mattresses up to 21 inches tall. Our mattress is about an average thickness (10 inches) and we had a good amount of fabric to wrap around the bottom. If you have a thinner mattress than ours, this could be an issue, as the pad could slip and slide with the extra material.

Washing: Easy and regret-free

According to the manufacturer, this mattress topper is machine-washable. We washed ours in a quick cycle with warm water and dried it on a gentle tumble for 15 minutes. We then laid it out so the down wouldn’t accumulate in any one spot. This worked well for us, and we didn’t find any rips, tears, or weird bunching after washing and drying.

Durability: Flexible fabric

As mentioned above, this mattress topper held up perfectly in the wash. Also, its cotton material has a natural flexibility that can handle the basic tosses and turns that come with a night of sleep.

Features: Fairly water-resistant

This mattress topper is water-resistant, according to its product description, but I felt it was lacking in this department. The topper is lined with a cotton material that definitely soaks in some moisture if you spill a drink on it; we tested this feature. However, I’m a very hot sleeper, and I didn’t wake up feeling like I was sleeping in my own sweat, so I would say this mattress pad is relatively water-resistant.

Price: Great value 

No matter what size bed you have, you won’t spend more than $100 on this mattress pad—a great value because it keeps you cool and comfortable. Also, it’s hypoallergenic, and finding similarly priced hypoallergenic options can be difficult.

Leisure Town Mattress Pad vs. ExceptionalSheets Bamboo Mattress Pad

Generally, we think the Leisure Town cooling mattress pad stands out among the competition: it’s soft, fluffy, and it provides real relief to hot sleepers. The Leisure Town Mattress Pad is a fantastic option for those on the hunt for a budget-friendly hypoallergenic mattress pad that will cool them down at night—as long as you don’t depend on a super-firm mattress.