Accommodation options on Bangka (North Sulawesi)?

Lembeh doesn't have white sand beaches (well there is one, but in general it's black sand and pebbles). Bangka has lovely white sand beaches and very pretty coral indeed. There is quite a cheap, basic resort there, run by a German woman (blue sea divers or something like that, sorry, frazzled brain poor recall) which is right on the beach.
Don't completely discount diving at Bunaken. Every destination is very different. Lembeh is almost exclusively muck diving, Komodo is very strong currents, as is Alor (though I've not dived Alor myself). Bangka and Bunaken are cruisy coral viewing, although sometimes currents occur.

Bunaken is not exclusively for divers. It's just that some resorts charge a little more for non-divers. This is understandable, since their profit comes from diving primarily. European prices? Depends on the resort. Bunaken Cha Cha is probably the most expensive resort on Bunaken, but Daniel's Homestay costs between 150.000 Rp and 250.000 Rp per person. This includes breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Bunaken doesn't have nice beaches (mangrove trees), but the diving is very good. I obviously don't know how experienced you are as a diver, but I thought diving at Bunaken was great. Dive sites Lekuan 1, 2 and 3 were excellent, I thought.

Thanks to both of you.
I've found this resort run by a german woman, blue bay divers, but it's still 100€/person (dives included), and there's no separate accomodation/diving pricing, looks like it's gone a bit upmarket since.
I've got a mail back from Murex (they've forgoten to attach their price list) and they said they're almost fully booked, so I might reconsider Bunaken.

Have a look at this place http://www.twofishdivers.com/
I stayed there about 3 years ago. At that time the accomodation was fine but the food a bit iffy. The diving crew knew what they were doing. Great diving.

Thanks air_con_boy,
Looks reasonable. I'm now thinking of maybe going first to the Perhentians and skipping Bunaken altogether (but not Lembeh!), as I'll be accessing the region from KL, and maybe just concentrate on the snorkeling there.

I agree that you can skip Bunaken, the diving is nothing really exceptional but I'd say it would be a pity to skip Bangka too, I did fantastic dives there. An option might be to do a day trip from Lembeh to Bangka, most of the dive operators in Lembeh are offering them.
Just coming to my mind - did you check out Pulisan Jungle Resort , it's in between Bangka and Lembeh, on the mainland. Not only for diving activities.
Enjoy your trip!!

Thanks fox,

Yes I had considered Pulisan, it looks quite attractive, but considering that I want to stay on Lembeh itself later anyway, and then spend a couple of days in Tangkoko, Pulisan would be like a half-way solution, entailing costly trips each time I want to go to one or the other. How is Pulisan itself? Does it offer enough (good snorkeling, walks nearby) for a few days without having to move further out? Basically I'm looking for a quiet place to unwind after a long plane trip, with good snorkeling. Bunaken still sounds too busy, and past the point where resorts start taking advantage (everything priced in €).
As you suggest, I could dive to Bangka from Lembeh.
I'm arriving in KL, so as I said at the moment I'm quite tempted by the Perhentians first thing, or maybe Bira if I acces Sulawesi from Makassar instead of Manado (information thin on the ground). I guess I can still justify going to north Sulawesi for Lembeh-Minahasa Highlands-Tangkoko alone.

#1 yep, Blue Bay Divers. Pretty new and as quiet as a resort can get. Bathroom with mandi and lil balcony and fine snorkelling off the(white) beach. I hear, there was struggeling about the land and the owners are not excepted in the neighborhood "warmhearted". However I just reached the shore as a snorkeller/guest and was welcomed nicely. There are black seahorses in the sea-grass there.

Blue Bay Divers looks very nice, but costs 190 euro per room (=$300)
For that money, I would go to www.wakatobi.com (3 dives a day included)

I have another idea: next to Bunaken is a small island called Siladen. Siladen has a nice beach (not spotlessly white, but nice) and coral right in front. Good for snorkeling and diving. On Siladen are about 5 different accomodations. Only two of them are in the LP (wrong pricing, though). I stayed two nights in Siladen Resort & Spa. Nice but expensive.