> Sometimes I just want to create some static pages, but I was forced to use either CMS or things like wordpress.

Wtf?! To create static pages, I open Emacs and type there. No need of a CMS or Wordpress to create an HTML page!

Then to host it:

  scp page.html me@srv.com:~/public_html/

and you're good to go.

Hosting a website on S3 is nice, but it's not simpler than what is already possible if you own a server. If you don't already own one, I'm not sure setting up an AWS account + client code is easier than creating a new VPS account. I surely would prefer to set up a Linux VPS, which is an environment I'm confortable with.

Regarding the costs, I rent one private (not virtual) server for 20 euros/month, and host several (static and dynamic) sites on it, so it's actually cheaper than going the AWS road. Uptime last time I logged: 560 days (aka reliable enough for me).