Dichato is the most popular beach escape from Concepción, a small resort town clustered around a sheltered bay about 60 kilometres to the north. The bay curves into a long stretch of dark sand backed by low dunes, and the water — cold even in summer — is calm enough for swimming most days. In January and February the town fills with Chilean families, students from Concepción's universities, and weekenders from further afield.
The town has a particular history. The tsunami that followed the February 2010 earthquake destroyed most of Dichato's older buildings, and almost everything you see was built in the years after. What that means in practice is a clean, low-rise resort with little architectural character but functional amenities: seafood restaurants in wooden buildings along the shore, small marisquerías on the beach itself, and a calm, unhurried pace outside the summer peak.
Buses from Concepción's Collao terminal run to Dichato throughout the day and take about 90 minutes. You could combine the trip with the nearby town of Tomé, another coastal town with an older industrial character, if you want a fuller day on this stretch of coast.