Phaleanopsis orchids come in a variety of colors and are pretty easy to find. They're probably easy to find because they're pretty easy to grow, so I would suggest starting out with one of those. The thing to keep in mind with orchids is that they are very much like peppers - they don't like to be wet. Don't grow them in standard soil - there are a handful of growing mediums out there specifically for orchids, so definitely get one of those. You may need to experiment a bit to find which medium is best for you. Ideally when you water, fill a sink with water (mixed with orchid food), place the pot inside until it's soaked through, then pull it out and let it drain completely. Just like with peppers, don't get the pots that have the built-in water catchers that prevent water from coming fully out.
Something that you have likely seen orchids do is send their roots out of the pot. The ones that do this will eventually wither, but do not necessarily take this as a need to pot up. As long as the plant itself and the roots inside the pot remain healthy, the pot size is probably fine. There are a lot of good articles on the web on growing orchids, some specific to given varieties. There are also good books.