The first thing to strike us walking out of Larnaca Airport on a misty Monday evening was the smell, the smell of fresh air, trees, plants and flowers.

You just have to take in a deep breath and instantly feel relaxed.

Around 30 minutes later, we were in the breathtaking village of Tochni, where we would be based for the week, checking in to the wonderful houses that form part of the Cyprus Villages complex.

By now it was around 9pm and time for dinner.

We headed up the hill to the Tochni Tavern, where our host Sofronis treated us to a veritable feast of meze, followed by some really tasty lamb and chicken.

The fine meal was washed down with a delightful bottle of house red.

Dinner done, we headed back to our house for a couple of hours spent jamming and rehearsing songs from our upcoming album.

Five hours in and we were already feeling refreshed.

Our first full day in Cyprus took us to Limassol, a 30-minute drive from Tochni.

The first stop was Kolossi Castle, which was once a possession of the Order of St John.

The acoustics inside the castle meant we couldn’t resist a quick performance.

One German tourist seemed to like our music a lot, judging by her enthusiastic dancing.

From there, we headed into the centre of Limassol to take in the harbour and the old town, do a little shopping and have some lunch.

Then it was off to Larnaca for more sightseeing and a relaxed evening on the seafront, enjoying a few beers.

Wednesday brought another early start as we set off, with our driver Marinos and guide Andri from the Cyprus Tourism Organisation, for the village of Omodos.

On arrival, we popped into the St George’s Bakery to buy some snacks, which turned out to be really tasty.

It wasn’t just the bread that tasted good. The honey-coated nuts were to die for.

After looking round this traditional village, we headed further into the hills to our next stop, the Ktima Gerolemo Winery and Vineyards.

It was only 11am but after an interesting tour of the winery, we couldn’t say no to a tasting session covering wines made from various indigenous grapes, as well as Commanderia, the Cypriot port-like aperitif, and the fiery Zivania.

Leaving Omodos, we headed deeper and higher into the Troodos Mountains.

The views were truly magnificent and we also enjoyed a stop at Tselefos Bridge, built centuries ago by the Venetians to transport copper from the mountains to the coast.

Tselefos was one of several venues where we performed throughout our stay to audiences who all really listened to and appreciated our music.

The final stop was in Nicosia, where we looked around the shops and cafes in pedestrianised Ledra Street and Onasagorou Street.

Performing without any amplification inside the open-air Kurion Theatre was a phenomenal experience

Of course, Nicosia is still a divided city – the only one in Europe – and it was fairly surreal to see Turkish flags fluttering just metres away from Greek and Cypriot ones.

Yet the atmosphere was completely relaxed, with plenty of people freely crossing the Green Line, which divides the two sides at one of the checkpoints.

It was also great to see every bar and cafe was showing the football derby between Omonia Nicosia and APOEL Nicosia.

The band’s bassist Ivan is great friend of footballer Andre Schembri, who is one of Omonia’s leading players, so he was keen to watch the match and to tell every single Cypriot he spoke to that he knows the famous Maltese footballer.

The day ended with a really enjoyable gig at Academy 32, a bar that forms part of the Cyprus Academy of Music, established in 1958.

The venue is run by Yiannis Hadjiloizou, a conductor, composer and, as we discovered during our performance, a brilliant pianist.

Although not a large venue, it was great to play to a full house of real music fans who genuinely listened to and enjoyed our music.

After a busy day, we thought we might take it a little easier on Thursday morning and so headed off to Kalavasos, a village close to our base in Tochni, where we visited a horse farm and enjoyed a short ride through the beautiful fields.

Just a short drive away is Governor’s Beach, where we stopped off for a coffee and to enjoy the splendid views of the coastline.

By the afternoon, we were feeling a little more energetic and decided to head over to Ayia Napa.

The tourist season hasn’t started yet, of course, but it’s easy to imagine what this place must be like in the middle of summer.

There are hundreds of bars and clubs, as well as great beaches and smart hotels.

Although we couldn’t make the most of it, we still had our own little adventure, renting out some beach buggies and taking them for an off road drive on the nearby cliffs.

Our drummer Robert really does want to be a rally driver so this was probably his highlight of the trip.

Ivan, who was his passenger, will probably never be quite the same person again.

Our last full day in Cyprus saw us heading west towards Paphos, stopping off first at the Kurion Theatre, a magnificent Greek structure perched at the top of a hill with breathtaking views of the coastline below.

The way the theatre is designed is awe-inspiring, and performing without any amplification in such an open-air structure was a phenomenal experience.

It’s a venue we would love to return to. Performing here together with an orchestra would be simply out of this world.

Our final stop on the tour was Paphos, with its beautiful harbour and magnificent mosaics.

We also had our final engagement in the town, a interview on Sunshine Radio, during which we also played Young Again live.

The drive back along the coast saw us reach Aphrodite’s Rock just in time for sunset, yet another breathtaking image that will stay in our memories.

Our last night in Cyprus certainly wasn’t a quiet one.

Marinos, our driver, wanted to treat us to an evening of traditional Greek music and food so it was off to Limassol again for one last time.

After a week of great food, great wine and great hospitality, we had great fun joining in with some of the local musicians.

In just five days, we managed to cover a lot of ground, from towns to villages, mountains, to forests, to seaside, traditional tavernas to bars, pubs, restaurants, from live performances to radio interviews.

And we know that we only touched the tip of the iceberg.

It was great to get away, to spend some time together as a band, and also to bring our music to a new audience overseas.

We hope to be back performing in Cyprus soon but even if that doesn’t happen, we’ll definitely be back as tourists.

• Red Electrick’s visit was supported by Cyprus Tourism Organisation and Cyprus Villages (www.cyprusvillages.com.cy) and represented in Malta by Enrico Travel.