Fiji - Yasawas in 10 days?

I'll be spending some time in Fiji in June and have decided to spend 10 days exploring the Yasawa Island group. I have a few questions that I hope visitors to this site can help me with:
1. I aim to relax on beautiful beaches, do some snorkelling and take some good photos. Problem is, the guide books state that all the islands in the Yasawas are suitable for this! Which of the islands are the best?
2. I am not interested in rushing around - realistically, how many islands should I expect to visit in ten days?
3. I am thinking of taking the Yasawa Flyer boat from Nadi to and between the Yasawa islands. Do I need to reserve a place on this boat beforehand, or can I just show up?
4. I'll be arriving from PNG at about 6pm. Guess I'll have to spend a night in Nadi before heading out to the Yasawas, right? Anybody got a good hotel recommendation? (ie, clean, not too expensive).
5. Should I sort out accommodation in the Yasawas before departure, or can I sort it out when I get there?

Thanks in advance for any advice!

1. "all the islands in the Yasawas are suitable for this!" Sounds about right. Snorkeling quality might be a determining factor. Otherwise, choosing the resort (e.g., for financial and/or clientele considerations) might be a better way of making your choice.

2. Depends on how much you want to not rush. Five days on one island is easy for me to handle, maybe even longer. So, in my case, 2 islands max in 10 days. But maybe my own pace is too slow for you.

3. Well, you could always reserve the night before, just to be on the safe side. That way you can arrange hotel pick-up as well. There's a bus that stops off at various places, picking up people for the Flyer.

4. ...

5. It will depend on the resort. You could sort out accom once you arrive in Fiji. But there are a few popular resorts where a pre-arrival booking is advisable (perhaps at this time of year it's not an issue .. someone else will have to comment on this). In many cases you can't just show up at an island, because there's no pier for the Flyer to dock at. The people at the resort have to know you're coming. They meet the Flyer out in the open water in motorboats and pick up and drop off customers that way. So you'd have to call in advance anyway, to warn them you're coming.

I recall someone mentioning that it's possible to make bookings on the Flyer itself, and they call ahead to the resort. But I can't vouch for this personally.

I agree with oldpro on everything he has stated. As for #4 - I can recommend the Raffles Hotel, across the road from the airport - we stayed there twice and found it convenient but don't know if you would consider it "not too expensive". As for the Flyer, we just showed up without a reservation - no problem getting on!

I agree with the recoomendation for the Raffles. If you pre-book the Flyer they will pick you up on the morning of your departure.It leaves at about 9am from Port Denerau - pickup is about 8am.

"I recall someone mentioning that it's possible to make bookings on the Flyer itself, and they call ahead to the resort." - I can confirm this.
I would suggest 4 or 5 nights on Octopus and book elsewhere on the Flyer.OR prebook both Oarsmans Bay and Octopus - do Oarsmans first though.

Raffles for me too - if you want lower priced ask for a standard room. Or try Bluewater Lodge, we found they were fine for a night. 2 resorts would be plenty, otherwise you will be packing & moving every 3 days.
The Yasawa Flyer now leaves at 8.30am and pick-up outside Raffles is now 7.30am, the hotel staff will show you where.

Instead of Oarsman's which has had some not-so-great reviews recently, consider the new Blue Lagoon Beach Resort which is on the same beach as Oarsmans. Its a sister resort to Octopus and run to the same high standard. I would do that one first as Mandja suggests, then catch the Flyer back to Octopus.
Best to book ahead in case your chosen resorts don't have availability on the days you want. You can book ahead on the Flyer (they will give you a booking reference and you can pay when you check in). This used to be almost compulsory in past years when the boat seemed to be full every day, but I had 3 trips on it towards the end of last year and there were plenty of spare seats.

Our first trip to Fiji we jumped islands every few days so to explore. Second trip we just focused on the places we really liked. Oarsmans Bay has the best beach in my opinion, hence why we got married there two years ago. Service was lacking on our second trip though. Octopus is a great place too. Try to hit both of these at least. I assume you can still buy an island hopper pass on the flyer? The Wanna Taki cruise is well worth it for a night as well - one of my favorite things to do in Fiji.

As for hotel in Nadi, we stay at the Nadi Bay Hotel. Free airport pickup. Have also heard good things about Raffles though.