Lovely Thai Island Still the Way It Was, Almost : On Phuket, you can sit on a near-deserted beach and devour mangoes or great chunks of fresh fish.

Five years ago, we cautioned that a visit to this gorgeous tropical island off the west coast of Thailand in the Andaman Sea should be undertaken before rampant development cleared its mango, guava, papaya, coconut and jackfruit trees, and before sunning bodies clogged its pristine beaches.

Not to worry. Phuket (pronounced poo-KET) is Thailand’s largest island, and its sheer size (502 square miles) has kept the new hotels and resorts spread out and reasonably well-hidden. Which isn’t to say that Patong, a very popular beach town on the island’s west coast, hasn’t exploded into a garish crescent of hotels, condos, restaurants serving spaghetti Bolognese and schnitzels, and a proliferation of bars whose army of “hostesses” prey upon tourists.

But, although the tigers and elephants that roamed Phuket’s jungles freely in the 19th Century are long gone, it’s still possible to sit on a near-deserted beach beneath a palm-frond hutch and devour great chunks of fresh fish or grilled local lobster with your bare hands. Or to sail to one of the smaller islands forming a halo around Phuket for a day or longer, far from the crowds. Apart from Phuket Town, Patong and a few developed beach resorts, the island is made up of tin-roofed towns and villages that seem locked in the previous century.

Thailand’s first kingdom was established in the 13th Century. The country was known as Siam until the 1940s. Phuket was just a tin-rubber-coconut island until the 1970s, when foreign visitors began to take notice of its incredibly blue water, lovely landscape and friendly islanders. That’s when island fathers realized that the cash flow from coconuts couldn’t match that of tourism, and the big push for more visitors was on.

If you’re looking for a beautiful island that’s almost the way it was, try to get here before the dew is off the fruit trees. Only, bear in mind that tourism is already booming in these parts.

Getting settled: Pearl Village is a spread-out affair near the airport on the north part of the island. Its lovely tropical grounds are right on the beach of Nai Yang National Park, with a small canal weaving through the palm trees and shrubbery. It’s a beautiful setting; Sports Illustrated shot its annual swimsuit edition there a few years ago.

The open lobby is a small museum of Thai antiques and brilliantly colored umbrellas from Chiang Mai, in Thailand’s far north. All bedrooms have balconies with garden or pool views, and there’s a year-round program of water sports, horseback riding, tennis and children’s activities. We really liked Pearl Village, particularly the open, over-water restaurant.

Patong Beach’s Phuket Cabana resort manages to keep itself separated from the town’s hurly-burly at its seaside location. The place is all done in Thai style with lots of rattan and breezeways, and each unit has its own front porch or balcony. The hotel will pick up clients from the airport.

The pool is a step from the marvelous beach, and bar and terrace dining are beneath the swaying palms. There’s lots of windsurfing and other water sports.

On the small bay of Nai Harn Beach at the southern tip of the island, the Phuket Yacht Club resort is the stuff of dreams, built upon a lush hillside overlooking the water. Each room has a spacious and secluded terrace rimmed with bougainvillea and tropical flowers, a great place for breakfast or evening drinks.

The club’s Chart Room has fine Thai dining and nightly entertainment, and there are several other bars and dining rooms inside and out. A sleek catamaran owned by the club is available to charter for day and overnight cruising, including full meals aboard or picnics on nearby islands.

Regional food and drink: Malay-type satays are a big favorite here, either chicken or pork, usually served with a torrid sauce of local red peppers or ground peanuts. Goong sou-sa is a dish of enormous prawns sauteed in yet another pepper sauce, and the squid with garlic also struck our fancy with a resounding but pleasant jolt. Hottest of the hot is tom yum gai , a chicken soup flavored with lemon grass, peppers and sometimes mixed with coconut milk.

Wash all this down with Singha, an excellent Thai beer, even with Phuket’s glorious lobsters.

Good local dining: Our second visit to Kan Eang Chalong (Chalong Bay), one of the island’s best seafood places, was just as happy as the first. Dine at one of a series of thatched huts right on the sand, served by waitresses in native costume, and watch each dish being cooked outdoors. You may also watch the lights of sea-gypsy fishermen, Phuket’s oldest inhabitants, as they net the bay’s luscious bounty.

Go for the local specialties of goong sou-sa ($2.40), beef man-jou fried at the table ($3.20) or crab in coconut curry Phuket-style ($2.30). The local grilled whitefish, mong, is superb.

Right in town you’ll find Isaan Plad Thin restaurant, a delightful little place open to the elements. Nothing fancy here; its decor consists of pictures of Thai temples and dancers, plus Elvis Presley and Robert Redford.

The restaurant’s name means “memories of the northeast,” so expect excellent dishes from the Chiang Mai region. Or you may opt for the mixed fried cuttlefish and shrimp with cashew nuts and chili paste ($2), or a great spicy soup with pork spareribs, same price. Other dishes are about the same cost, and there’s a fine pub next door for postprandial carryings-on.

Just below the Phuket Yacht Club hotel on Nai Harn Beach is the Coconut Cafe, having nothing to do with the hotel but one of the most informal, fun and unbelievably cheap places we visited.

Dine on very rustic wooden tables set on the front porch of a totally unimpressive building across the road from the beach. We went for the satays, fried crab and a delicious fish the size of Moby Dick for less than $5 each. The service is as friendly as the surroundings, and we hope it doesn’t go upscale when Windstar Cruises begins mooring in the bay this fall and bringing passengers ashore.

On your own: After checking out the beaches to determine a favorite, have a go at Phuket Town for a walk through the busy and colorful outdoor market and perhaps a hot satay and cold beer from a street stall. Then go to the island’s south end for a look at a sea gypsies’ village, or the Phuket Orchid Garden & Thai Village just outside town on the airport road.

The orchid gardens have an endless variety of these exotic flowers, and at Thai Village one may watch Thai kick-boxing, folkloric dancing, pottery making and umbrella painting or play mahout and ride an elephant.

Legend has it that the best Thai dancers and most beautiful women come from Chiang Mai. They perform all over the country, so check to see which Phuket hotels have shows of classical dance. Most hotels have day-trip programs around the island and to surrounding islands by boat.

Phi Phi Island, southeast of Phuket, is noted for its cave paintings and the birds’ nests collected there for Chinese bird-nest soup. And if you’d like to see where James Bond blasted the baddies in “The Man With the Golden Gun,” steam north to Phang Nga Bay. It’s magnificent.

GUIDEBOOK

Planning Phuket

Getting there: Fly Thai Airways or Northwest from LAX to Bangkok direct, or Singapore Airlines, Delta, Japan Airlines, Korean Air, Cathay Pacific or Garuda. Then take Thai Airways on to Phuket. An advance-purchase, round-trip ticket to Bangkok is between $1,270 and $1,400 until Aug. 31, round-trip Bangkok-Phuket $158.

Fast facts: Thailand’s baht recently sold for 25.39 to the dollar, or about 4 cents each.

Where to stay: Pearl Village (Nai Yang Beach, from U.S. phones 011-66-76-327006, $113 double, $117 cottage); Phuket Cabana (94 Taweewongse Road, Patong Beach, tel. 011-66-76-340138, $97-$117 double); Phuket Yacht Club (Nai Harn Beach, tel. 011-66-76- 381156, $210 double). These hotels say they will give substantial discounts until October depending on room availability.

For more information: Call the Tourism Authority of Thailand at (213) 382-2353, or write 3440 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 1100, Los Angeles 90010, for a brochure on Phuket, another on accommodations, plus general travel information on Thailand.

--B.B. and E.R.