Just out of interest. What has been your experience with the beds where you have house sat? We are on our first assignment and the bed is wonderful. We are getting on a bit so comfort is important. Looking forward to your experiences.
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Mostly decent to very good. However, there was an ugly/bad one that stands out like no otherā¦my back (and all else) hurts just thinking about that sit. A fairly small person, I sat on the bed and sank to the frame. I tried sleeping on it that first night and woke up in spasms. I let the HO know (there were also undisclosed issues with the the pet). A couple of days later, a discount mattress place contacted me about the ānewā mattress to be delivered. Told me itās a mattress for a toddler or small child ādue to the construction.ā Metal springs with a light cover, basically. It was far worse than what it had replaced, no mean feat. Deeply insulting. I ended up having to sleep on the sofa (which was old and unsupportive, but at least not a device of torture).
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This is topical for me as we have just returned from a lovely sitting but the bed was 3/4 size. Mr Itchy feet and I are trim but it still felt small. On my review I mentioned that the bedroom was compact with a 3/4 sized bed.
I have now started to really peruse the photo of the bed to see if the pillows are squashed together which gives a hint of the bed size.
Otherwise, I agree with @Katie that they are mostly decent to very good.
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I am a bit of a mattress snob, and weāve been so lucky. On two of our sits we had the most gloriously comfortable king sized mattresses. In fact, I was talking to one of the owners about her mattress brand and asked where she got it. It was that good! We havenāt had any uncomfortable ones. Fingers crossed that it stays that way. I spent my early 20s sleeping on the wrong mattresses (that I bought myself, when I didnāt know better) and didnāt realize what a difference the right one makes.
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Welcome @Oztravels and well done on your first assignment. May it be the first of many!
Iām currently on my 61st housesit and have had a variety of beds, most of them have been very comfortable - many more comfortable than my own bed, which I havenāt slept in for some time as Iāve rented out my home!
One really bad bed that stands out was in the UK and a single bed which I hate, as havenāt had a single bed since I was a child! It was clearly really old and the mattress was all lumpy. Fortunately it was only a short sit. What was falling was that there was another empty bedroom (in addition to the ownersā bedroom) with a king size bed. If I was to do a repeat sit (they did ask but I couldnāt make the dates) Iād only have accepted if I could have had the other room!
You do get used to lots of different beds. I think for me equally important are the cooking facilities. I hate halogen or electric hobs, but am very happy when thereās gas!
We like very firm beds, ours is a thick futon and possibly not everyoneās cup of tea but one sitter actually complemented our beds so fingers crossed that itās been all right for others! Our main complaints have been with Airbnbs, once I slept on the 3/4 sofa, which was still better than the bed!!
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I can sleep on a washing line so all is good here 
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I am sleeping on a single bed in this house and I love it. Itās not the mattress, itās the feeling of returning to my childhood, and the room is nice and chilled. They also have this hand cream here called E45 that is a reminder of Paquinās hand cream in a jar that my mom used when I was little. Iāve been sleeping better here than anywhere else since I left my own bed more than a month ago. The only thing not perfect is the windows let in light but I just have to go to bed earlier to get up earlier. Can you tell Iām happy here?
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So do I - ideal for a cat nap 
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You do indeed sound happy @mars itās wonderful to hear and a single bed is fine by me too I just need a very soft mattress, cannot do firm in any way, shape or form.
My bed at home is a king cloud ā¦ itās like sleeping on one. It would have been fun to keep a record of how many different beds Iāve slept in over the years, in fact all travelers I think we might all be more than astounded at the numbers.
E45 is amazing and funny how certain things bring back memories, youāve had a real return to childhood at this sit, do you feel any younger? 
As for the light try taping black garbage bags to the windows, just as long as there is no risk to the decor, I often use GBās or a dark towel.
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So I get appalling sciatica if I sleep on a soft or lumpy mattress - I once slept at a friendās and the mattress literally threw my back out.
On my very first THS gig the mattress was beautifully soft and I was terrified to turn over incase it was the final straw and slept on my yoga mat for a couple of nights!
So Iāve brought a futon thingy that fits easily in my car, and I take it ājust in caseā - I think with something as specific as needing a rock hard mattress, I need to play it safe. I have used it a few times (never let hosts know as they would all have been mortified!) Thereās been lots of beds that have been fine, but a few just too soft for me specifically.
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@ERRa Thank you for your contribution and itās lovely to have you back posting here. Such a fascinating subject as everyone is so different.
Your comment really resonated with me as after a few too many horse falls in my youth (what was I thinking 
) I also suffer from back and neck issues. So an unsupportive or lumpy mattress is a no-no for me now.
I have found this to be the case not primarily with housesitting, but with Airbnb, hotels and as you mentioned friendās houses. We once moved rooms in a hotel as the mattress had such a big dip that we both slid into it as there was absolutely no support. I too have braved the floor or sofa on more than one occasion, so can share that we also travel with a sleeping mat and use that only as a backup for housesitting or Airbnb etc.
However, on the flip side we have had some amazing beds and actually due to my back got recommendations from some owners on their mattress type and make. After doing a repeat sit we now have the same make at home! It was a much better way to try it out than at a mattress store. 
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I canāt cope with a soft mattress either! You should be quite safe in Asia, though. At least in Thailand, most mattresses are really firm, if not hard!
But the biggest thing with beds for me is the pillow. I normally travel with my own (filled with buckwheat husk), or if thatās not possible, I just sleep without.
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Me too, @CatsAndDog ! I travel with my buckwheat hull pilow too! I can deal with various types of mattresses but I need my pillow!
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Overall the beds we have slept have been comfortable, however give us king size everytime. There is one awful bed we were given. The memory still makes me shudder. The homeowner proudly showed us a king size bed with new cotton bedding. Perfect we thought and looked forward to a good nights sleep. That didnāt happen as each time either of us moved there was a rustling noise and we were getting hotter and hotter. Finally we got out of bed and inspected underneath the bottom fitted sheet. We found 4 waterproof mattress covers, complete with stains. You can imagine what the mattress was like! We brought a mattress topper the next day and threw it away when we left the sit
@mars @CatsAndDog Me now Googling āWhat is a buckwheat Hull pillowā
I have a Tempur-Pedic one that I travel with but this has piqued my interest!
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Hi @Carla-Moderator , Itās a traditional Japanese pillow, that stays cool and conforms to your head. Itās not soft like foam, down or fabric, itās kind of like straw, and you can shape it to make it flatter or higher. Iāve been using one for forever. I have a large one and a medium one at home and a small travel size. My husband likes it too so he uses a medium size.
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