I'm in the early stages of planning a brief summer getaway from Portland up to BC with my SO and her six year old daughter. We did the Sunshine Coast (Madeira Park specifically) last year and had a great time there, with the six year old especially enjoying her swims in the lakes around the area. However, we're sort of angling at going somewhere different and I was hoping to get some advice from fellow FTers.

Salt Spring Island
Pros: Least popular out of the three, so maybe less crowded? Not too difficult to get to from Tsawwassen. Seems like a good middle option of being different yet not too far away.
Cons: Maybe it's less popular for a reason?

Sunshine Coast
Pros: Familiarity, not too difficult to get to from Portland
Cons: Familiarity, the traffic through Vancouver sucks in order to get to Horseshoe Bay

Tofino
Pros: Different (Pacific Ocean v. the Strait), lots of rave reviews online
Cons: Furthest away from Portland, involves a three hour drive from Nanaimo, the most crowded/expensive?

What we are aiming to do are a few easy hikes/walks along with some swimming in an area that is both attractive and also easy for a six year old to manage. I worry about Tofino since it's on the Pacific Ocean and frankly, I'm worried that the effort expended to get there won't be worth it. Also, some of my top choices in regards to accommodation seem to already be fully booked and/or too expensive for our budget.