We ate at the Lime Tree one of our three nights in Kenmare. We absolutely loved it. Excellent food, excellent service, relaxing evening. We also enjoyed looking at the art in the gallery. It was our favorite meal of the trip (though dinner at The Shores came in a very, very close second).

As to the rest of the thread that I never chimed in on, I choose Kenmare. We were there for three days and it could have been double that. There's so much to see in the area, and KNP is not that far.

Thanks for all of the input. We have decided on Kenmare. I think we will like the smaller town.

rfbk50, you'll love Kenmare. We only stayed one night, and wish we could have spent more time.

If you haven't booked your lodging yet, consider the Seanua B&B. This is a charming family-run home, and the family is actually selling the place and moving away. I was heartbroken to hear this, because we certainly would have stayed there again! Perhaps you'll be able to catch them before they go. http://www.seanua.com/

I highly recommend the Ring of Beara drive. We chose this over Ring of Kerry, and it was one of the absolute highlights of the trip. Stunning scenery (so many different landscapes!) and not very many cars sharing the road.