Recommendation for a first straight razor

I’m relatively experienced with DE’s but never used a straight before. Can you recommend a good starting straight razor as well as any other ancillary gear I would need. Thanks in advance for your insights.

You might want to consider trying a Feather-style straight razor, folding or kamisori type, to see if you enjoy it. Then, if you do, you can start investing in a decent straight and accessories. You can find a CBJ kamisori style razor which might be your least expensive option or a Kai or Feather folding one, but they are more expensive.
If you really do want to try a straight razor, then the Gold Dollar ones are quite inexpensive and decent, when honed properly, which will be the most important thing if you do end up getting a real straight razor. This is why I would suggest starting with the Feather types to see if you like the shaves, then you can transition to real straights.
However, this would be up to you. Starting with a real straight, it would have to be honed properly, need a strop, and paste to maintain the edge. Then, if you like the shaves, you can invest in stones for honing.

I'll stop here as I am certain there are more knowledgable straight razor users who can offer more insightful suggestions as I am not a user of them.
You may also contemplate asking this at Sharp Razor Palace forum to get more indepth answers.
Good luck.

I personally do not care for the shavettes, because they are very sharp.  I think a new user might be more prone to nick/cut themselves, and be turned off by it.

An excellent starter razor would be a 5/8 or 6/8 Ralf Aust...just standard...no flash with the standard black scales.  It is very high quality, and won’t break the bank...especially if you find a used one on the forum BSTs around.

Vr

Matt

Gold dollars are a viable option except for the honing. Which if you like I can do for you gratis. 
Also with a little looking you can find vintage straights on the bay for as little as $20-30 in great shape. They would also need honed. Most likely. Ads stating “shave ready” are not always a guarantee. YMMV there. 
This is my GD66. 5$ shipped from China. Took a while to get here but whatcha gonna cry about for that price. 
Hope this helps. 
Fluffy

My straight razor odyssey did not go exactly as planned. There is a hell of a lot of paraphernalia to be bought,
unless you're prepared to just send your razor to be professionally honed.

This is all the stuff I had to get, and I only got the bare minimum:
Linen and Cowhide Strop/3K/10K Stone/Balsa Wood Strops (4)/Diamond Pastes (4)/ Green Compound/ Granite Tile for Stone Levelling

I also bought a pretty awesome Koraat 7/8....and I learnt to use it pretty well after practising on a Focus shavette (which I love btw).

The problem is, I did not anticipate how much time this takes up. For me, it can take at least 45 min...you do not want to rush a straight
razor shave or you could cut yourself pretty bad, as I once did.

The only advice I'll offer is to get some used gear at a decent price to see if this suits you. If it does, than you could consider a
Tim Zowada piece lol. I do like straights but the time issue really cramps my style.

Plus I'll say that there are some manoeuvres I still cannot get a straight razor to perform (eg. sideways across neck), but I can do that with a DE.
This pass is essential for me to get a perfect shave.

As much as it embarrassing to admit, would recommend obtaining Shavette for the first venture into straight shaving.  Shaved using straights as a teen; after a multidecade absence returned spending many thousands of dollars on razors and paraphernalia.  Sure it rewarding to hone, strop and otherwise maintain a razor but it highly time consuming and a steep learning curve of attaining maintenance skills placed atop another steep learning curve adopting a new skill set wielding the razor.  

A Shavette eliminates at least an hour, if not 2, of weekly maintenance while also minimizing the lag time in developing good shaving technique that can arise from rolled edges when stropping and honing improperly.  By starting with a Shavette one develops solid shaving technique in a vacuum so that, if later adopting a straight, issues that arise can easily be traced to improper maintenance technique.  Hope this makes sense - if you have engaged the dragon, you surely get the point, if not then please at least consider the advice

Excellent advice DanLaw . In fact I recently purchased a Feather DX and a Feather SS for this exact reason. 

Still hope to try straights down the road but until then these Kamisori style razors will have to do. 

Thanks

I mostly shave with straights. After owning and using many high end razors and own a large number of antique and vintage blades I would suggest you borrow a half or quarter hollow and try it out. Best to start very slowly and use a high end slick soap. I would even consider a shave oil before on your face to help. There is nothing that equals the closeness of a shave with a straight but they can be dangerous and require patience. I only shave at night so I can relax and take my time. Always shower before or soak you face with a hot towel. An alum block or stick is also encouraged as you will cut yourself occasionally. Also watch some videos on YouTube to get the strategies down. It is worth time and extremely relaxing.