If you searched “Kovalam” and landed here, it's worth double-checking which Kovalam you mean - there are two, in two different states, and mixing them up is easy.
A small village on East Coast Road in Kanchipuram district, about 40 minutes south of Chennai city. This is where Samudra Beach Resorts is located: PIN code 603112.
A much larger, internationally known beach destination roughly 700 km away, home to several government and private resorts including KTDC Samudra, Samudra Theeram Beach Resort, and Uday Samudra Leisure Beach Hotel.
Both are real beaches. Both have hotels with “Samudra” in the name. They are not related to each other in any way, and they're in different states.
If you're looking for a quick beach getaway from Chennai - not a longer trip to Kerala - you want Kovalam, ECR: about 40 minutes down East Coast Road, no flights or long drives required. Samudra Beach Resorts is a small, privately-run beachfront property here, with direct beach access and both ocean-view and private-pool rooms.
If it's the famous Kovalam Beach in Kerala you're after - with its lighthouse, Hawa Beach, and larger resort strip - you'll want to search specifically for “Kovalam, Thiruvananthapuram” or “Kovalam, Kerala” to find the right hotels, since a plain “Kovalam” search can return results from both places.
Two more, unrelated to either Kovalam: Samudra Residency (a separate hotel in Chennai city) and Royal Samudra Beach Resort (in Chirala, Andhra Pradesh, roughly 400 km up the coast). Neither is connected to Samudra Beach Resorts.
Read next: Best Beach Resorts Near Chennai & ECR: The Complete Guide