Tivoli Garden Residences: Comfortable living in a friendly, caring community

MANILA, Philippines - Cherry Rañeses, one of only a few psychotherapists in the country, likens her healing approach to living in Tivoli Garden Residences, a condominium community built by DMCI Homes in Mandaluyong City

“When you heal a person, it has to be on a holistic level,” she says in describing her therapy session. And like  holistic healing, Tivoli Garden’s beauty, atmosphere and people promote residents’ physical, mental and spiritual well-being.

Rañeses treats people who have been traumatized such as victims of disaster, rape, holdups, bullying, spousal abuse, and public humiliation to prevent them from becoming mentally ill. She also lectures in schools, companies or to groups of people on how to be emotionally stable and teaches basic meditation, self-healing, beauty and age reversal, and stress management.

In fact, she designed her 23rd floor unit at the Bauhinia, one of five high-rise residential buildings at Tivoli Garden, in Asian fusion style to reflect her eastern and western medicine practices.

For her late husband, buying a two-bedroom corner unit and moving in before Christmas of 2010 fulfilled his dream of living near the Pasig River, which fronts the community along Coronado Highway in Brgy. Hulo.

Tivoli Garden also brought happiness to Rañeses herself.

“The first happiness that I got in living in a condo is that there are no mice. It’s very hard when there is a mouse in the house because it carries diseases,” she says.

The second happiness Tivoli Garden gave her is safety and security.

“Here at Tivoli Garden, we were able to sleep soundly without the fear of burglary,” she says. “I find the security here ideal also because the guards and maintenance people monitor visitors by radio and CCTV cameras.”

From the 23rd floor, looking at the sky allows her to reflect on life. Other relaxing sights and places within the community are gardens, swimming pools, a clubhouse with a domed roof, high-rise atriums and patios, al fresco and indoor dining areas.

“I would look over our balcony, look at the pools and appreciate how nice the place I am living at. It’s like living in a resort,” she adds.

Although the family had lived for a long time in a townhouse, switching to condo living was a right choice and practical.

“We really opted for comfort. I somehow felt that my husband would be sitting on a wheelchair. So if we stay in a townhouse, it will be very uncomfortable to bring the wheelchair in and out of the house. Here, we go out of the unit, it’s flat. You go to the elevator, you go down, it’s flat,” Rañeses says.

Although Rañeses has plans to work in the US, she says until then, “I would like to live in an ideal setting like Tivoli Garden.”