I have a recumbent trike. It does not handle as well and it's a ***** on climbing. I'm not sure how long or far you ride; that would make a difference. If you're talking about tooling around the neighborhood, a trike is great fun, but for long rides, it's just so very slow. I'm fortunate that for "real" rides I ride a tandem with my husband.
That being said, if you are really strong you can make decent time on a trike. Several people ride them on AIDS Lifecycle, which is a seven day ride from SF to CA. But they tend to get out earlier and might not take as long at rest stops.
If you are a serious rider, you would want to get a good one. Possibly Greenspeed or one of the better Terra trikes.
They are incredibly comfortable-- no saddle sores or shoulder issues, which is another good thing about them.
Two-wheel recumbents can be as fast as a regular bike, but it sounds like you are talking about a trike.