Crested geckos are definitely a great choice to start with if you want to wet your feet in gecko keeping. I currently have artificial plants in all my Rhacodactylus cages purely for ease of cleaning. I have done live plants in the past, and they help keep humidity high. Works out quite nicely as long as your not concerned with digging for eggs in the root systems if you start a breeding project. They do make awesome nocturnal display animals, and are one of the easiest geckos to keep.
As for European breeders, try
www.geckoworld.co.uk
There are some regular posters on the forum that are keeping and breeding ciliatus.
Hope this helps
James