Hotel Grand Naples 700 Thread Count Down Alternative Comforter

First, I have to tell you that I am more picky than most people, especially when it comes to stuff that will touch my skin! My husband says I would have made a great Queen! I carefully read reviews looking for just the right comforter for our Master Bedroom. My husband and I had enjoyed the fluffy, soft covers during our stay at the Hampton Inn, and we wanted something very close to their white, soft comforter. I decided on the down alternative comforter, because I was afraid I might have allergies to real down. I then started to narrow down the comforters that Overstock has to offer. I did not want to pay $400 for a comforter, like one would have to do for Hampton's bedding. We are pretty rough on our comforters, and I needed something more "disposable." When this comforter came in the mail, I promptly took it straight to my extra-large capacity washer to give it a freshening wash, as I do not like the smell of a new piece of bedding, generally. I wanted to wash it in my detergent and fabric softener so that it would be fresh for the first night of use. As one person previously reported, I got a small tear in the seam where the comforter rubbed against the agitator, apparently. I decided that this comforter, especially in a king size, is just too big to go in a home washer, and I think it really would be better to take it to a laundry mat or dry cleaner for cleaning. Otherwise, you are going to rub all kinds of tears in it. I put it through 3 cycles in the dryer. It fluffed fine, but it takes a long time to dry all that filling inside. Now that my comforter was clean and fresh, I was ready to test it for comfort. My initial feeling was that the material did not really seem as soft (at supposedly 700 thread count) as my 400 thread count sheets did. For particularly sensitive princesses like me, I thought it had just a tad bit of roughness to it, but nothing horrible. After sleeping with it for two nights now, I can say that it is wonderful. It does not make me itch or bother my very sensitive skin in any way. It is incredibly soft! The weight of this comforter is about moderate. It is not too light or too heavy. We sleep under heavy air conditioning, and it definitely is wonderful to snuggle under it in the cool hours of the morning. It keeps you very warm without being really heavy on your body. I think it will be great in the winter here in Tennessee. Like other reviewers, I will say that it runs extremely small. I put it on a Queen bed with thick mattresses, and it will not even cover from top to bottom of the mattress. It comes down on the sides just about to where the dust ruffle should start. I think you are going to have to find a thin spread or something to put over it if you want to have a good looking bed ensemble. It definitely does not cover my bed like I would like. I use it more like one would use a blanket. I have a more formal spread to put on when company comes. So what is my bottom line? Even with all its shortcomings (mostly the size of it), I love it, and so does my husband. It is every bit as comfortable as the Hampton Inn's luxurious bedding. At this price, you can use it and replace it when it gets worn out. I am thinking about getting one for all my kids for their beds for the winter. They are so nice to wrap up in, and if you are worried about soiling the white comforter, I would recommend getting a comfortable duvet cover that can be taken off and washed periodically. For me, I think I will just take mine to the laundry mat when it needs washing and put it in their huge commercial washer. You don't have to do it that often, and it is a minor inconvenience to have this much plush, soft cover night after night. I urge you to go for it! I doubt you would be disappointed.

• Would you recommend this to a friend? Yes

I've always had down, so was hesitant purchasing the alternative. This comforter was a delight right out of the box. What a beautiful cover (and I'm very particular about the quality of cotton covers!). I just shook it from all sides and it's been great ever since. We've had it on the bed for the past couple weeks and I wouldn't change a thing about it. It's lightweight, but very cozy and fluffy; not some heavy comforter making you too hot and bulky. Keeps us warm for cold nights and very comfortable for summer, too. I like the box stitching and each time I change the bed linens, I give it a gentle shake, which I also had to do with the down ones. It is also very ample in size, covering 10 inches plus on the sides and more on the bottom on our king size bed. Don't hesitate on this one; it's a keeper!! I also like the fact it's machine washable and tumble dry.

• Would you recommend this to a friend? Yes

I decided on getting a down alternative comforter instead of down because of problems I've had in the past with my sensitive nose in always being able to smell the down in comforters/pillows, no matter how nice the quality. Wow, this comforter is beautiful and high quality. It looks and feels just like a down comforter to me. And of course, absolutely no smell. It is exactly what I was hoping for and I was not disappointed at all. The 700 TC looks great and is so soft/silky. I don't think you could get a nicer quality and look of down at this price.

• Would you recommend this to a friend? Yes

This comforter was absolutely wonderful when I first got it. VERY soft and nice & fluffy. Everything about it I liked - until the day came when I had to wash it. I have an extra large capacity washing machine, so it's not that I crammed it into a small washer. But when I pulled it out, all of the fill was clumped up. I thought maybe it was just because it was wet, so I tossed it into the dryer, but to no avail.Now the comforter is EXTREMELY lumpy and no matter what I tried, nothing ever fixed it. The fill was in such uneven shape it didn't even lay on the bed well.If you're going to get this one, please save yourself the annoyance and have it dry cleaned.

• Would you recommend this to a friend? No