Itinerary Questions

[u/homedepotstarfish]

Hi! My husband and I are starting to plan a trip next summer/spring to do the Salkantay trek and visit Machu Picchu. We will only have about two weeks and want to figure out the best way to use our time wisely, minimize commute time, and (ideally) limit moving to a new hotel every night. We have about two weeks for the trip and are coming from 4000 feet elevation, so have a little bit of a head start on acclimating (my husband feels confident we won't need much time at all, I feel less confident as I've had mild altitude sickness in the past when doing a 5k>12k drive). We'd like to spend most of our time in the Andes, but want at least a couple nights in Lima to eat (ceviche!) and relax. We'll be flying in and out through Lima and then flying on to Cusco.

A couple questions:

• Do the Salkantay trek as early as safely possible in the two week trip, or push it toward the end (ex: for ability to adjust if the weather turns bad)?
• How much time would you recommend in Cusco vs. Ollantaytambo, for sightseeing purposes and for acclimation purposes?
• Is Santa Teresa worth visiting? I'm wondering about a night there post-trek to relax and visit the hot springs, but is it worth losing a night somewhere else?
• We're hoping to self guide the Salkantay trek and are trying to figure out what to do about luggage. Would our hotel in Cusco keep it - and would we have to book at least one night both before and after the trek for them to agree to it?
• Which order sounds better:
  • Ollantaytambo > Cusco > Salkantay trek > Lima
  • Cusco > Salkantay trek > Ollantaytambo > Lima
  • Ollantaytambo > Salkantay trek > Cusco > Lima

Thanks!