Forget dreamweaver etc.
It's quite the learning curve.
People often recommend it like people recommend Photoshop to anyone who wants to do anything with photos.
Easy to use and update isn't too difficult, as I say there is iWeb and RapidWeaver on the Mac. And they do
look quite cool. But if you have a specific design in your head it can be difficult to realise as in order to be easy to use they do have to make certain assumptions and apply some limitations to their flexibility.
To realise a specific design that is in your head will require you to write your own HTML/CSS and possibly javascript (and PHP code and MYSQL code even) and be good with Photoshop as well.
If you're prepared to compromise then the easy to use template based apps I mentioned will give you a website that doesn't look like a home made affair.
For the record I use Dreamweaver for speed and convenience even though I do use it purely in the raw code view and sometimes just use notepad for quick changes. I do this for a living so the speed is important to me as I need to get through work quickly otherwise my prices would be too high for so many customers who sadly, don't take their website as seriously as they should and want to get a mate to knock something up over a couple of evenings in return for a couple of beers...
Think of it like me offering to do bodywork repair on someone's car instead of having them bring it to you so they can save a few quid. There will be filler and paint on it and it will be *a* repair, but it won't look pleasing or professional.
