Twins are known to have a unique bond compared to that of typical siblings. For sisters Camille Tantoco and Nicole Tantoco-de los Reyes, this bond manifested itself early in their childhood.

“We were best friends and had our own world as well as our own language as babies. My parents would hear us talking to each other through the baby monitor in gibberish,” Camille recalls.

“Nicole learned to talk before me and would translate whatever I’d say,” Camille adds. “She also learned to walk first and eventually taught me how to do it, too.”

Sisters are each other’s witness to life’s most defining moments. At times, they may get into petty arguments that make them the worst of enemies, but without a word, they’ll get back to being the best of friends, as if nothing ever happened.

That kind of connection is what makes sisterhood special and powerful.

Anya Resort Tagaytay recently hosted a special retreat designed for sisters. Conducted by Dr. Lia Bernardo, the leading expert in well-being, natural health and personal growth, it was a two-day recollection for sisters meant to help them attain peace in their relationships.

The timing could not have been more perfect for the Tantoco twins, since Nicole and architect Miko de los Reyes have just been married.

“It was a great experience to get to slow down and get away on a weekend retreat with my sister after some hectic months of wedding planning. It turns out two days of relaxation and meditation at Anya were exactly what I needed,” Nicole says.

 Self-love

“We were taught that before we can really learn to love others, we must begin with ourselves,” she adds. “After working on self-love, it became so natural and easy to rediscover what I admire most about Camille. I realized there is a surplus of qualities in her that I just adore and missed before because I was so focused on what was lacking in myself.”

The twins were drawn even closer to each other by learning more about each other’s primary love language, which turned out to be quality time. Since this only means spending time with undivided attention, the intimate gathering became the perfect opportunity to strengthen the bond between them.

Camille loves how she was able to spend time with Nicole, who has since moved out of the family home. “I enjoyed the bonding experience, and I feel like we are now even closer than before,” Camille says.

The Inner Journeys retreat, set amid the resort’s naturescape, was the perfect breather as they were able to enjoy rediscovering their similarities and differences.

Communication, gratitude

The activities the twins joined were centered on the importance of communication and gratitude—such as mirror exercises to improve one’s self-esteem and Qi Gong, a holistic system of coordinated body movements for meditation.

Nicole says, “It’s really just about making sure that even if we live in separate houses now, we should always make it a point to spend some quality time together. We plan to go on a yearly sisters-only vacation, and also schedule weekly lunch meetups or impromptu sleepovers in between.”

Camille says  they plan to continue traditions and old practices such as coordinating their outfits from time to time like they used to do as kids.

Other sister pairs joined

the Inner Journey—Lexi and Georgia Schulze, writer Risa Regala-Garcia and designer Pia Regala-Hebron, and jewelry designers Candy and Janina Dizon. –CONTRIBUTED

Call 6571640, 0998 5779999; e-mail [email protected]; Visit www.anyaresorts.com

For more information on Dr. Lia Bernardo’s retreat schedules at Anya, visit https://liabernardo.com/retreats/.