My personal opinion is that if you don't plan on racing, get a full-suspension bike if you can. It's a plushy ride and a lot of fun. It may be a bit slower, but if you aren't racing, so it's not a big deal. I loved my full-suspension bike and it was the perfect bike to introduce me to the sport. I had a Trek Fuel.

The nice thing with 26" bikes is that they can be snappier in tighter, twisty sections of trail.

That being said, I do love my 29er I just got which is a hard-tail. I'm still getting used to riding a hard-tail and having the saddle bounce-up every time I go over some roots or rocky sections. I rode the full-suspension for 6 years, so adjusting to the hard-tail is taking some getting used to. I used to bomb on the downhills, but now its a bumpier ride and I'm learning how to descend all over again.