Cayo Largo after hurricanes: damage, recovery, what’s next for travelers

Cayo Largo is one of those islands you can picture on a screen saver: turquoise water, white sand, and not a hint of rush. This Cuban resort has never turned into a tourist behemoth like Punta Cana—and that’s part of its appeal. Yet behind the postcard lies a tougher story: the island has taken the brunt of powerful hurricanes more than once.

What happens to a place like this when wind and waves arrive with brutal force? How does it pick up the pieces? And is it ready for the next test?

When a storm rips the roof off — Hurricane Michelle

In 2001, a hurricane with a deceptively gentle name—Michelle—hit Cayo Largo hard. A surge roughly three meters high swept over the island. The storm was so strong that, according to the UN, tens of thousands of homes across Cuba were destroyed and many areas lost power.

Cayo Largo itself, a small strip of land, was completely flooded. Water swallowed everything—beaches, hotels, roads. For a long while, the island stopped looking like paradise.

Rafael: a fresh hurricane and a new test

More than two decades later, in November 2024, the island found itself in harm’s way again. This time it was Hurricane Rafael—not as devastating as Michelle, but serious all the same. Winds on Cayo Largo reached nearly 135 kilometers per hour. There was damage, and once again the island had to switch into recovery mode.

Repair and cleanup work is underway, along with preparations to welcome travelers. Cuban authorities say Cayo Largo will reopen soon.

What remains after the storm

When people talk about hurricanes, they often think of shattered buildings. But on islands like Cayo Largo, the fallout spreads much wider.

First, nature takes the hit: beaches erode, mangroves are torn up, coral reefs are damaged. Second, infrastructure buckles—roads, power lines, and hotels—halting the resort as a whole. Third, tourism stalls: visitors stay away, hotels stand idle, and local income dries up.

After Michelle, all of this already happened. After Rafael, it’s happening again right now. The island is rebuilding, but no one can say how long the road back will be.

Why it matters even if you’re not going

Cayo Largo isn’t just a holiday spot. It illustrates how nature can rewrite the rules for an entire region.

There’s no permanent population here—only staff and visitors. So when a hurricane strikes, there’s almost no buffer: few people, limited resources. Much has to be started from scratch. That makes Cayo Largo especially vulnerable.

We’re seeing tropical resorts fall into hurricane paths more often. It’s possible such blows will become routine. If so, islands will need to adapt—build more robustly and be ready to evacuate at a moment’s notice.

Conclusion

Cayo Largo is undeniably beautiful, but beneath the calm surface lie serious trials. Hurricanes hit the island hard in 2001 and again in 2024. Each time, it pulled through—at a steep cost.

Cayo Largo’s story is a reminder of nature’s unpredictability. Even if you never set foot on that beach, its fate says something that lingers: paradise isn’t only about beauty—it’s about the will to endure.