"looks like it's 100% internet search caches for recovery. Any tips on recovering images, which typically aren't cached?"
This does not sound like the tweet of a man with backups.
This does not sound like the tweet of a man with backups.
[Also makes me wonder how to test my host's backups]
Make your own, don't rely on someone else.
Why would anyone consider a backup on the same VM a backup at all?
All your data should be kept in two places, hopefully geographically disparate in case there's a building fire or horrible storm or what not.
You should also test it on a regular basis to make sure it exists (and so you know what to do when the shit hits the fan)
Cache of the relevant blog post: http://74.125.95.132/search?q=cache:yE0OdU1q6q4J:www.codingh...