Hurricane Dolly stalled over South Padre Island with winds near 80 mph and gusts near 100 mph.
The most obvious damage from the June 23rd, 2008 storm was at the Bahia Mar.
Built in the late 1970's, almost all the condos on the property had their roofs shredded or were riddled with water damage.
But the most obvious destruction was to the 200-plus room hotel tower.
Nearly four years, 18 million dollars and new owners have brought this property back from the brink.
Laura Knight is the commercial director for the investors out of Monterrey.
She says the new look comes with a new name and a new purpose.
"People sometimes think oh that's the Bahia Mar hotel. Nope! It is now solare tower condominiums,” Knight said. “It's going to be condos and they are ready for sale.”
Laura describes Hurricane Dolly as if it were a scene from the three little pigs.
"Walls flew, the little houses made of wood flew, windows flew and roofs were flying; everything was flying,” Knight said.
Today, crews are in the home stretch of this giant restoration.
"There's not one single rusty nail, old nail, nothing…it is all brand new,” Knight said. "Back in 2008, the Bahia Mar was apparently on its last legs. It looks like dolly may have been as much a blessing as a curse."
From the top of the tower, it’s easy to see how far this place has come since Dolly.
But the question remains how long until the next storm blows through and turns another nice hotel into an expensive restoration project.
TV Station Profiles & Public Inspection Files forKGBT