Best Hosting for WordPress?

I run about 8 WordPress sites. Some are more complex than others (1 is moderately intensive). I would like to host all my sites on the same platform, rather than have 1 here, 1 there, etc. I can spend up to $40 a month on hosting. So a few questions:

1) Are there any "premium" shared/cloud hosting platforms out there (I know that sounds like an oxymoron, but some shared hosts are better than others).
2) Should I look at Managed WordPress solutions? Any recommendations?

I am looking to upgrade to something more WordPress friendly. I pre-paid for a year and it runs out in January so I have several months to find a new host or renew (currently paying about 30/month).

Thanks!

 

The question is really not on "where to find affordable web site hosting plan?" but "how to find an affordable web site hosting plan?" Try to read customers' reviews before making any final order.