Alternatives to Phuket

5-6yr ago I stumbled upon Phuket when randomly searching best beaches in the world... was blown away and decided some day I would visit with the intention of moving there

Time flies... finally in a position to truly consider such a move, but now I see Phuket has become overrun with "certain folks", and lost a lot of its culture and charm

So are there alternatives to current-day Phuket which would remind you of the Phuket of 5-10yr ago?