Memorable places to stay & top 3 scenic places to visit?

For 1-2 hours by car/ferry I would suggest either going 'west' - to the San Juan Islands and/or the Olympic Peninsula as there are many very nice, unique places to see in both areas.....Whidbey Island is easy day trip and Port Townsend is nice.   If you go a bit further there is an amazing place called Lake Quinault....in the rainforest, set on a beautiful lake....outstanding.

if you go 'east', then you have Leavenworth (Washington) or Roslyn/Salmon La Sac Campground is okay area for hiking etc...or all the way to Yakima and you get into wine country.   In terms of places to stay, it will be difficult to find in that price range - possible, but hard because Seattle area is expensive, especially for hotels.